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.

Chronic Arm Morbidity After Curative Breast Cancer Treatment: Prevalence and Impact on Quality of Life

Abstract: PURPOSE: To determine the prevalence of and contributing factors for chronic arm morbidity including lymphedema in breast cancer patients after treatment and to assess the impact of arm morbidity on quality of life (QOL). PATIENTS AND METHODS: A four-question screening questionnaire was developed and mailed to a random sample of 744 breast cancer patients treated curatively in two cancer centers from 1993 to 1997. Patients were without recurrence and at least 2 years from diagnosis. Respondents were classified as with or without arm-related symptoms on the basis of the survey. Stratified random samples from each group were then invited for a detailed assessment of their symptoms and signs, including the presence of lymphedema. Their QOL was assessed by the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer QOL Questionnaire C-30 and by a detailed arm problem questionnaire that assessed various aspects of daily arm functioning. RESULTS: Approximately half of all screened patients were symptomatic a...

Does treatment (nonoperative and operative) improve the two-year quality of life in patients with adult symptomatic lumbar scoliosis: a prospective multicenter evidence-based medicine study.

Abstract: STUDY DESIGN Prospective observational cohort study with matched and unmatched comparisons. Level II evidence. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study is to compare results of adult symptomatic lumbar scoliosis (ASLS) patients treated nonoperatively and operatively. This is an evidence-based prospective multicenter study to answer the question of whether nonoperative and operative treatment improves the quality of life (QOL) in these patients at 2-year follow-up. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA Only 1 paper in the peer-reviewed published data directly addresses this question. That paper suggested that operative treatment was more beneficial than nonoperative care, but the limitations relate to historical context (all patients treated with Harrington implants) and the absence of validated patient-reported QOL (QOL) data. METHODS This study assesses 160 consecutively enrolled patients (ages 40-80 years) with baseline and 2-year follow-up data from 5 centers. Lumbar scoliosis without prior surgical treatment was defined as a minimum Cobb angle of 30 degrees (mean: 54 degrees for patients in this study). All patients had either an Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) score of 20 or more (mean: 33) or Scoliosis Research Society (SRS) domain scores of 4 or less in pain, function, and self-image (mean: 3.2) at baseline. Pretreatment and 2-year follow-up data collected prospectively included basic radiographic parameters, complications and SRS QOL, ODI, and Numerical Rating Scale back and leg pain scores. RESULTS At 2 years, follow-up on the operative patients was 95% and for the nonoperative patients it was 45%. The demographics for the nonoperative patients who were followed up for 2 years versus those who were lost to follow-up were identical. The operative cohort significantly improved in all QOL measures. The nonoperative cohort did not improve and nonsignificant decline in QOL scores was common. At minimum 2-year follow-up, operative patients outperformed nonoperative patients by all measures. CONCLUSION It would appear from this study that common nonoperative treatments do not change the QOL in patients with ASLS at 2-year follow-up. However, operative treatment does significantly improve the QOL for this group of patients. Our conclusions are limited by the fact that we were only able to follow-up 45% of the nonoperative group to 2-year follow-up, in spite of extensive efforts on our part to accomplish such.

Who should measure quality of life

Abstract: This is the fourth in a series of five articles One of the reasons behind the rapid development of quality of life measures in health care has been the growing recognition of the importance of understanding the impact of healthcare interventions on patients' lives rather than just on their bodies. This is particularly important for patients with chronic, disabling, or life threatening diseases who live without the expectation of cure and have conditions that are likely to have an impact on their physical, psychological, and social wellbeing. Health professionals frequently make quality of life judgments when making decisions about the care of disabled patients,1 and the professional's view on expected quality of life is often the key factor in determining whether effective treatment for a life threatening condition will be given or withdrawn.2 Professionals' perceptions may, however, be at odds with those held by their patients.3 It is therefore important to ask patients to assess their own quality of life using one of a growing number of reliable and valid measures. Choosing an appropriate measure and using it in clinical practice can be problematic.4 Deciding to use a measure, however, presupposes that patients are able to assess their own quality of life and complete a quality of life measure. Some patients—and in some conditions many patients—are unable to do this because of cognitive impairments, communication deficits, severe distress caused by their symptoms, or because the quality of life measure is too burdensome physically or emotionally.5 These may be precisely the patients for whom information on quality of life is most needed to inform clinical decision making. Rather than lose all information on that patient, someone else (a family member or health professional) may be asked to act as a proxy or surrogate. In this paper …

Impact of psychiatric disorders on health-related quality of life: general population survey

Abstract: Background Measurement of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) with generic preference-based instruments enables comparisons of severity across different conditions and treatments. This is necessary for rational public health policy. Aims To measure HRQoL decrement and loss of quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) associated with pure and comorbid forms of depressive and anxiety disorders and alcohol dependence. Method A general population survey was conducted of Finns aged 30 years and over. Psychiatric disorders were diagnosed with the Composite International Diagnostic Interview and HRQoL was measured with the 15D and EQ–5D questionnaires. Results Dysthymia, generalised anxiety disorder and social phobia were associated with the largest loss of HRQoL on the individual level before and after adjusting for somatic and psychiatric comorbidity. On the population level, depressive disorders accounted for 55%, anxiety disorders 30%, and alcohol dependence for 15% of QALY loss identified in this study. Conclusions Chronic anxiety disorders and dysthymia are associated with poorer HRQoL than previously thought.

Lymphedema and Quality of Life in Breast Cancer Survivors: The Iowa Women's Health Study

Abstract: Purpose The impact of lymphedema or related arm symptoms on health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in breast cancer (BrCa) survivors has not been examined using a large population-based cohort. Patients and Methods The Iowa Women’s Health Study (IWHS) collected self-report data for lymphedema, arm symptoms, and HRQOL (Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36) in 2004 and data for cancer diagnosis, treatment, and behavioral and health characteristics between 1986 and 2003. We studied 1,287 women, age 55 to 69 years at baseline, who developed unilateral BrCa. We used cross-sectional analyses to describe the prevalence of lymphedema and arm symptoms and multivariate-adjusted generalized linear models to compare HRQOL (physical functioning, bodily pain, general health, physical and emotional role limitations, vitality, social functioning, and mental health) between the following three survivor groups: women with lymphedema (n 104), women with arm symptoms without diagnosed lymphedema (n 475), and women without lymphedema or arm symptoms (n 708).