Quality of Life as a Health Outcome

Quality of life as it relates to health outcomes is generally referred to as health-related quality of life (HRQOL). HRQOL is a multidimensional, patient-reported outcome, obtained either by questionnaire or interview, that conveys the extent to which a patient's physical, emotional, and social well-being and function are impacted by a condition, disease, or treatment. On an individual level, HRQOL can facilitate better provider understanding of a patient's disease experience and guide treatment decision making and end-of-life care. Numerous instruments assess HRQOL, which differ in their focus on more general versus specific HRQOL issues. The importance of HRQOL has been increasingly recognized to the degree that HRQOL is now a standard outcome measure (a measure of success or efficacy) in clinical trials and serves as a ...