|
||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||
|
Allied Health: Articles of Interest Using quality of life in allergy research Have you ever thought about the term quality of life? 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. 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. 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, we often attempt to quantify QOL in a more systematic manner and HRQol instruments are used to assess the effectiveness of treatment. According to Hyland, QoL surveys are used to assess: 1) The effectiveness of a randomized clinical trial Most healthcare professionals are familiar with randomized clinical trials, which are most often used when new medications are tested for Food and Drug Administration (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, studies have shown 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 clinician and the patient. The clinician 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. Schatz et al has shown that asthma-related QoL can even predict future emergency room use. In a recent publication, individuals scoring low on QoL were 2-3 times more likely to use the emergency room than those with high QoL. In order to assist AAAAI members, the Evaluation and Outcomes Research Committee has developed a database resource for finding different surveys to measure quality of life. We have amassed over 30 different QoL scales and provided a listing of the authors and article that have these scales [1]. The topics include: • Asthma - adult, adolescent, pediatric and general If you are interested in one of these topics and wish to have a good method for measuring QoL, visit the AAAAI Web site, www.aaaai.org, choose the Professionals Center and click on the Quality of Life Resources Database link. If you think we are missing a good survey or have a question regarding surveys please contact the Evaluation and Outcomes Research Committee staff liaison, Reaca Pearl, at rpearl@aaaai.org. Resources: http://www.thoracic.org/ American Thoracic Society Website: A more educationally comprehensive website that describes issues regarding instruments, validity, and reliability of asthma and other respiratory disorders. Indexes, contacts and reference materials are provided for the surveys listed. Bender BG. Measurement of quality of life in pediatric asthma clinical trials. Ann. Allergy, Asthma and Immun. 1996, 77, 438-445 Hyland M. A brief guide to the selection of quality of life instrument. Health Qual Life Outcomes. 2003 Jul 3;1(1):24. Full text article on pub med offers an introductory level description of some key issues when selecting QOL instruments http://www.kluweronline.com/issn/0962-9343/contents. Kluwer is the publisher for the Quality of life journal and their website offers information, abstracts and full-text articles on Quality of life surveys. http://www.qolid.org/ The quality of life instruments database. A European website that can do limited free access searches for QOL instruments according to disease state, population and other queries. Quality of life Assessment in Clinical Trials. Methods and Practice. Staquet, Hays, and Fayers Oxford Medical Publishers, 1998. A textbook that provides a comprehensive guide to data analysis, psychometrics, key issues, and decision making theory. www.qoltech.co.uk/. Information regarding Elizabeth's Junipers multiple scales for assessing quality of life. Schatz M. Mosen D, Apter A et al. Relationship of validated psychometric tools to subsequent medical utilization for asthma. JACI 2005, Mar; 115(3):564-570 |
|||||||||||||
|
© 1996-2008 · All Rights Reserved · American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology |
||||||||||||||
