Quality of Life: Concept and Definition

Figures & data

Figure 1 Frequency of articles identified using the keyword “Quality of Life” in PubMed data base between 1972 and 2005.

Table 1 Summary of quality-of-life measures used to evaluate outcomes in adults with chronic lung diseases

Measure	Type	Purposes
Disease Targeted Measures
Chronic Respiratory Questionnaire	Profile	Descriptive studies, clinical change
UCSD Shortness of Breath (SOBQ)	Profile/ Symptom-specific	Descriptive studies, clinical change
St George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ)	Profile	Descriptive studies, clinical change
Generic Measures
SF-36	Profile	Descriptive studies, clinical change
Sickness Impact Profile (SIP)	Profile	Descriptive studies, clinical change
Nottingham Health Profile (NHP)	Profile	Descriptive studies, clinical change
Health Utilities Index (HUI)	Decision Theory	Descriptive studies, clinical change, cost effectiveness
EuroQol (EQ-5D)	Decision Theory	Descriptive studies, clinical change, cost effectiveness
Quality of Well-being Scale (QWB)	Decision Theory	Descriptive studies, clinical change, cost effectiveness
Health and Activities Limitations Index (HALex)	Decision Theory	Descriptive studies, clinical change, cost effectiveness

Reprinted from Kaplan RM, Ries AL. Quality of life as an outcome measure in pulmonary diseases. J Cardiopulm Rehabil Nov–Dec 2005; 25([6]):321–331. Used with permission from Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

Figure 2 Mean imputed QWB score for National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) respondents who reported differing numbers of sessions of vigorous activity per week. Data from merged NHIS file 1989–2002.

Figure 3 In comparison to patients randomly assigned to education, those participating in pulmonary rehabilitation demonstrated significantly greater endurance (top panel), and less breathlessness (center panel) and fatigue (bottom panel) over a 12-month follow-up. Reprinted with permission from Ries AL, Kaplan RM, Limberg TM, Prewitt LM. Effects of pulmonary rehabilitation on physiologic and psychosocial outcomes in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Ann Intern Med 1995; 122([11]):823–832.

Figure 4 QWB scores for patients who maintained physical activity (walking) on a regular or an irregular basis following pulmonary rehabilitation. Reprinted from Heppner PS, Morgan C, Kaplan RM, Ries AL. Regular walking and long-term maintenance of outcomes after pulmonary rehabilitation. J Cardiopulm Rehabil Jan–Feb. 2006; 26(1):44–53. Used with permission from Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

Figure 5 Changes in QWB (left panel) and SOBQ (right panel) for patients who either increased or decreased 6-minute walking endurance during the first year following pulmonary rehabilitation.

Holman H, Lorig K. Patients as partners in managing chronic disease. Partnership is a prerequisite for effective and efficient health care [editorial; comment]. BMJ (Clinical Research Ed) 2000; 320(7234)526–527

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