Using Quality‐of‐Life Measurements in Pharmacoepidemiologic Research

Health‐Related Quality‐of‐Life (HRQL) is a multifactorial concept that, from the patient's perspective, represents the final common pathway of all the physiological, psychological, and social influences of the therapeutic process. Generic instruments cover the complete spectrum of function, disability, and distress of the patient, and are applicable to a variety of populations and conditions. Within the framework of generic instruments, health profiles and utility measures provide two distinct approaches to measurement of global quality‐of‐life. The main limitation of health profiles is that they may not focus adequately on the aspects of quality‐of‐life specifically influenced by a particular intervention or particular disease. There are two fundamental approaches to utility measurement in clinical studies. One is to ask patients a number of questions about their function and well‐being. The second approach is to ask patients to make a single rating that takes into account all aspects of their quality‐of‐life.