Definition and measurement of quality of life in oncology nursing research: review and theoretical implications.
OBJECTIVE
To describe oncology nurses' diverse conceptual and operational approaches to the study of quality of life (QOL) by reviewing oncology nursing research of QOL, using principles of theory-building to examine and explain findings, and discussing implications for QOL measurement in research and practice.


METHODS
Journal articles published since 1980.


RESULTS
The use of diverse definitions and measures of QOL reflects the difficulty of operationalizing this abstract and highly individualized concept. A predominant trend in nursing research is the development of multidimensional scales that are disease-specific and include respondent-generated items.


CONCLUSIONS
Findings reflect a struggle to balance the need for practical, clinically relevant measures of QOL with the equally important need for theoretical integrity and comprehensiveness.


CONCLUSIONS
Nurses need to examine carefully their purposes for documenting QOL and the congruence of the evaluation method with patients' perceptions of QOL. This information can guide the choice of methods and enhance the validity of data used to evaluate QOL.
Mast
M E
ME
University of Virginia, Charlottesville, USA.
D003625:Data Collection / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology*; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D009742:Nursing Theory; D009859:Oncology Nursing; D011594:Psychometrics; D011788:Quality of Life; D009626:Terminology as Topic