Quality of life measurement

It has not yet been convincingly demonstrated that QALYs as currently measured Yc validity in mental health contexts (Chisholm et al, 1997), nor that the EQ-5D or similar should replace disorder-specific quality of life measures. However, the methodological rigour and transparency of the approach is impressive, and it is certainly true that few clinical effectiveness scales currently used in... 

Quality of life measures Few details (conference poster)... 

Assess quality-of-life measures such as physical, psychological, and social well-being. 

Document whether the patient has had improvements in quality-of-life measures, such as improved functioning, increased ability to perform activities of daily living, and improved well-being. 

Assess improvement in quality-of-life measures such as physical, psychological, and social functioning and wellbeing. Is the patient experiencing any drug-induced adverse effects What can you do to help manage these adverse effects ... 

Quality of life Measured by validated scales and patient interviews to determine the effect of therapy on a patient s lifestyle. An improvement in quality of life may be an endpoint in clinical trials. 

The success of therapeutic regimens to treat IBDs can be measured by patient-reported complaints, signs and symptoms, direct physician examination (including endoscopy), history and physical examination, selected laboratory tests, and quality of life measures. 

About the Author Dr. Bentley is an Associate Professor in the Department of Pharmacy Administration and Research Associate Professor in the Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy. He received a B.S. in pharmacy and an MBA from Drake University and an M.S. and Ph.D. in pharmacy administration from the University of Mississippi. In addition to statistics, Dr. Bentley s teaching interests focus on the organization, delivery, financing, and outcomes of health care. His research interests include understanding the role of pharmacy practice in how medications and the medication consumption experience affect quality of life, the use of quality-of-life measures as clinical tools, and empirical investigations of ethical issues in pharmacy and research. 

When patients enroll in the clinic, Cynthia assists them in completing the surveys. Most patients prefer to read the surveys and complete them at their own pace. Cynthia reads and records the survey information for those who are uncomfortable filling out the surveys individually. Through statistical analysis, she determines that there has been statistically significant change in all three quality-of-life measures over the course of the year (i.e., the SF-12, the Heart Failure Questionnaire, and the PSQ) and concludes that the clinic provides benefits from the patients perspective. 

A US study, however, showed that administration of beraprost did not improve the pain-free walking distance or the quality-of-life measures between the treatment groups (85). 

An independent cross-sectional survey, not sponsored by the pharmaceutical industry, in schizophrenic outpatients clinically stabilized on a neuroleptic drug for a period of 6 months showed that quality-of-life measures and Global Assessment of Functioning did not differ significantly in patients taking typical neuroleptic drugs (n = 44) and novel ones (risperidone, n = 50 olanzapine, n = 48 quetia-pine, n = 42 clozapine, n = 46) (42). 

Clinical trials of donepezil were funded by the manufacturer and appear to have been methodologically sound, although the absence of caregiver quality-of-life measures and outcomes related to activities of daily living is difficult to reconcile. An earlier 12-week study showed no improvement in caregiver quality of life with donepezil (4). As with most phase 3 studies, extrapolation of these results to routine practice is hampered by the fact that study populations are likely to be healthier than patients seen in routine clinical practice. Whether the results would be any different in a more heterogeneous population remains to be seen (6). 

Overall, the major benefits of modem drugs are on quality of life (measured with difficulty), and exceed those on quantity of life (measured with ease). ... 

Fitzpatrick R, Fletcher A, Gore S, Jones D, Spiegelhalter D, Cox D. Quality of life measures in health care. I Applications and issues in assessment. BMJ 1992 305(6861) 1074-7. 

Clinical trials of donepezil were funded by the manufacturer and appear to have been methodologically sound, although the absence of caregiver quality-of-life measures... 

Bowling A. 1995. Measuring Health a Review of Disease-specific Quality of Life Measurement Scales. Open University Press Buckingham, UK, and Bristol, PA. 

The Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT) Research Group. Reliability and validity of a diabetes quality-of-life measure for the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial. Diabetes Care 1988 11 725-32. 

Vickrey BG. A procedure for developing a quality-of-life measure for epilepsy surgery patients. Epilepsia 1993 344 (suppl 4) ... 

Wagner AK, Keller S, Baker GA, et al. Improving health-related quality of life measures for use with people with epilepsy. Epilepsia 1993 2 30. 

Kaplan RM, Bush JW. Health-related quality of life measurement for evaluation research and policy analysis. Health Psychol 1982 1 61-80. 

C6te I, Gregoire J-P, Moisan J. Health-related quality-of-life measurement in hypertension A review of randomised controlled drug trials. Pharmacoeconomics 2000 18 435-450. 

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