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Professionals Featured Resources » Become a Member About the AAAAI Careers in A/I ST*AR Program New Research from the JACI Job Placement Center Pay for Performance (P4P) Webcast Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Education and Research Trust (ART) Professionals Contact Medical Students Medical Residents Fellows-in-Training Training Programs Referral Guidelines Allergy/Asthma Medication Guide Quality of Life Resources Pierson Program Breakthroughs in Bioscience AAAAI Initiatives/Programs/Education AAAAI Assembly overview Allied Health Federation of the RSLAAI Societies International Military Allergy New Allergist/Immunologist Assembly Program Directors		AAAAI Quality of Life Resources Definition According to researchers, health-related quality of life (HRQol) is defined as patients' appraisal of their current level of functioning and satisfaction with it compared to what they perceive to be ideal (Cella and Tulsky 1990).  Most clinicians have a strong intuitive sense about quality of life since they normally ask the patient how they are doing during their clinical appointment. Mounting evidence clearly demonstrates HRQol to be an important outcome for monitoring a patient's response to treatment. HRQol adds another dimension to our understanding of a patient's response, which is not reflected in outcomes such as spirometry or symptoms. In the scientific community, it is often attempted to quantify QOL in a more systematic manner and HRQol instruments are used to assess the effectiveness of treatment. According to Hyland (2003), QoL surveys are used to assess: 1) the effectiveness of a randomized clinical trial 2) audits by healthcare managers 3) clinician purposes Most health care professionals are familiar with randomized clinical trials, which are most often used when new medications are tested for FDA approval. One group receives the placebo, the other group the drug, and comparisons are made over time to assess if there is a significant HRQoL improvement for the treatment group when compared to the control group. The second potential use for HRQoL instruments may be for an audit by a healthcare manager to decide if an intervention is effective. For example, in asthma research, pharmaceutical companies have been able to show that when patients adhere to using their controller medications there is a reduction in emergency department usage and an increase in HRQoL. The third potential use would be for clinical purposes between the healthcare provider (HCP) and the patient. The HCP may give the patient a brief survey to fill out to assess how the patient is feeling and how the treatment is affecting the patient over time. <back>
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