scispace - formally typeset
Search or ask a question
Topic

Quality of life

About: Quality of life is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 42912 publications have been published within this topic receiving 1198363 citations. The topic is also known as: life quality.


Papers
More filters
Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Evidence suggests that impaired mobility and symptoms such as fatigue, pain, depression, and spasticity are important contributory factors to the observed reduction in QOL, and in some cases, increased costs, associated with MS.
Abstract: Introduction: Few studies have evaluated the contribution of individual symptoms and impairments to the burden of multiple sclerosis (MS). This article reviews the contribution of walking impairment, fatigue, spasticity, depression, and pain, to quality of life (QOL) of the patient and economic burden of MS. Methods: Studies for inclusion were chosen from the literature that reported on QOL and costs in patients with MS, identified through PubMed searches (main search terms: “multiple sclerosis” combined with “quality of life,” “costs,” or “burden”). Articles were selected based on whether the analyses included evaluation of symptoms and impairments as contributory factors to QOL or costs. Results: Impaired mobility was ranked to be of high concern, and was suggested to be an important contributory factor to QOL, having a greater impact on physical components than mental components. Fatigue was associated with 0082‑x 12 QOL, with effects on both physical and mental components of QOL, independent of disability level. Depression was inversely associated with QOL. Spasticity may affect physical components of QOL, and daily activities may be impacted in as many as 44% of patients with MS. Pain, occurring in up to 86% of patients with MS, impacts daily function and QOL across the range of physical and mental domains. The contribution of these impairments and symptoms to the economic burden has been less well characterized, although the importance of mobility to employment and productivity has been suggested by several studies. Conclusions: Evidence suggests that impaired mobility and symptoms such as fatigue, pain, depression, and spasticity are important contributory factors to the observed reduction in QOL, and in some cases, increased costs, associated with MS. There is a need for greater recognition of the presence and effects of these disabilities, and effective targeted treatment options for specific impairments, potentially resulting in improved QOL and reduced indirect costs.

196 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The OM-6 is a valid, reliable, and responsive measure of quality of life for children with otitis media and the brevity and ease of administration make it ideal for use in outcomes studies, clinical trials, and routine clinical care.
Abstract: Objective: To evaluate changes in health-related quality of life for children with otitis media. Design: Cohort study using a 6-item quality-of-life survey (OM-6) representing the domains of physical suffering, hearing loss, speech impairment, emotional distress, activity limitations, and caregiver concerns. Setting: Hospital-based pediatric otolaryngology practice in a metropolitan area. Patients: One hundred eighty-six children aged 6 months to 12 years (median age, 3.4 years) with chronic otitis media with effusion or recurrent acute otitis media. Intervention: The OM-6 was completed at entry by the child's caregiver and again at least 4 weeks after routine clinical care. Otoscopic findings, static admittance, tympanometric width, audiometric thresholds, and ear-related global quality of life (10-point visual scale) were recorded concurrently. Main Outcome Measures: Test-retest reliability, construct validity, and responsiveness to longitudinal change of the OM-6 survey score (mean value of the 6 items). Results: Excellent test-retest reliability was obtained for the survey score ( R =0.87) and individual survey items ( R ≥0.71). The median survey score was 2.8 (95% confidence interval, 2.7-3.0) of a maximum 7.0, with higher values indicating poorer quality of life. Construct validity was shown by significant correlations between the survey score and global ear-related quality of life ( R =–0.64), between physical suffering and physician visits in the past month ( R =0.47), and between caregiver concerns and antibiotics consumed in the past month ( R =0.26). The mean change in survey scores after tympanostomy tubes was 1.7, with a standardized response mean of 1.7 (95% confidence interval, 1.4-2.0), indicating large responsiveness to change. The change score was reliable ( R =0.82) and correlated well with the degree of reported clinical change ( R =0.66). Conclusions: The OM-6 is a valid, reliable, and responsive measure of quality of life for children with otitis media. The brevity and ease of administration make the OM-6 ideal for use in outcomes studies, clinical trials, and routine clinical care. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 1997;123:1049-1054

195 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Those who undergo gastric bypass surgery experienced significant improvements in quality of life and body image within the first few months after surgery, and these changes were maintained into the second postoperative year.

195 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Reducing the duration of untreated psychosis may have a beneficial effect on the subsequent QOL of patients presenting with schizophrenia, and may warrant specific treatment interventions to prevent the development of secondary handicaps.
Abstract: Background Quality of life (QOL) has gained importance as a global measure of social and clinical outcome in schizophrenia. Aims To identify the clinical correlates of QOL at the time of first presentation with schizophrenia. Method Over two years, consecutive first-episode psychosis patients presenting to a catchment area psychiatric service underwent validated clinical assessments of premorbid adjustment, illness duration, symptoms and QOL. Results At presentation, subjects already had a diminished QOL. Although independent of gender and age at onset of psychosis, QOL was influenced by premorbid adjustment, duration of untreated psychosis and symptoms. Conclusions Reducing the duration of untreated psychosis may have a beneficial effect on the subsequent QOL of patients presenting with schizophrenia. First-episode patients with a protracted duration of untreated psychosis or impaired premorbid adjustment may warrant specific treatment interventions to prevent the development of secondary handicaps.

195 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Several variables were associated with QOL such as self-image, bullying, bodily pain, quality of food intake, physical activity, screen time, parents’ educational level, and weight status.
Abstract: The purpose of the study is to present a literature review on quality-of-life (QOL) assessment in overweight or obese children and adolescents in order to identify the most affected dimensions and better understand associated factors. The ERIC, FRANCIS, MEDLINE, PsycARTICLES, PsycINFO, and Academic Search Premier databases were searched for articles reporting cross-sectional QOL studies in obese children and adolescents published in English before January 2013. The reference lists of retained articles were also screened. Among the 34 articles retained for the analysis, only three did not report lower QOL among obese youth. Clinical populations appeared to be more affected than the general population. Several variables were associated with QOL such as self-image, bullying, bodily pain, quality of food intake, physical activity, screen time, parents’ educational level, and weight status. Identifying variables associated with lower QOL in obese children and adolescents offers new perspectives for prevention and care. Further research is needed to better elucidate these findings. Better understanding QOL is a key element essential for the treatment for childhood and adolescent obesity.

195 citations


Network Information
Related Topics (5)
Randomized controlled trial
119.8K papers, 4.8M citations
93% related
Risk factor
91.9K papers, 5.7M citations
90% related
Odds ratio
68.7K papers, 3M citations
90% related
Anxiety
141.1K papers, 4.7M citations
87% related
Health care
342.1K papers, 7.2M citations
86% related
Performance
Metrics
No. of papers in the topic in previous years
YearPapers
202234
20213,682
20203,334
20192,964
20182,699
20172,902