The Importance of Measuring Health Related Quality of Life

The Importance of Measuring Health Related Quality of Life report provides an overview of health-related quality of life (HRQL) measurement to facilitate and understanding of such measures to be used in both clinical practice and research.

Health-related quality of life (HRQL) measures have been widely used in health research in recent years and have been the endpoint in many clinical studies. This trend reflects the recognition that many treatments for chronic diseases fail to provide a cure and that the benefits of therapy may be limited. In some circumstances, the clinical therapeutic benefits may be outweighed by HRQL considerations. In addition, patients are interested in knowing the effect of a therapy on their HRQL. Patient advocacy groups have called for provision of comprehensive information about the consequences of the disease and treatment on the daily lives of patients. Funding bodies, agencies, and ethics review committees have also become interested in HRQL assessments and have encouraged the use of HRQL measures in clinical studies.