[Quality of life instruments and health state preferences to assess effects of medical interventions for mentally and medically ill patients].
OBJECTIVE
The assessment of quality of life with a single index, which is necessary for cost-utility analyses, causes a loss of information. Therefore the suitability of such indices for mental health and non-mental health conditions was analysed and their ability to detect effects of medical interventions was examined.


METHODS
Quality of life of 18 schizophrenic patients and 26 patients with diabetes mellitus was rated three times using disease specific instruments (BELP-KF, DMLQ), visual analog scale (VAS), EQ-5D and time trade-off (TTO).


RESULTS
Effects of medical interventions were only detected with the disease specific instruments and EQ-5D. Using TTO and EQ-5D, there were significant, but reverse differences in the quality of life of patients with diabetes and patients with schizophrenia. EQ-5D correlated highly with DMLQ, but lowly with BELP-KF.


CONCLUSIONS
TTO and VAS were insensitive to effects of medical interventions. EQ-5D detected treatment-induced changes, but was inappropriate as a measure of quality of life in schizophrenic patients.
Roick
Christiane
C
Universität Leipzig, Klinik und Poliklinik für Psychiatrie. roich@medizin.uni-leipzig.de
Thierfelder
Katrin
K
Heider
Dirk
D
Klemm
Thorsten
T
Paschke
Ralf
R
Angermeyer
Matthias C
MC
D001294:Attitude to Health; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000191:economics* / Q000628:therapy; D005858:Germany; D005102:Health Expenditures / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D009313:National Health Programs / Q000191:economics*; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000191:economics; D017060:Patient Satisfaction / Q000191:economics*; D011581:Psychological Tests / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000191:economics* / Q000628:therapy; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires