title: Does quality of life assessment in palliative care look like a complex screening program?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Palliative Care (PC) is an approach that improves the Quality of Life (QoL). A number of QoL assessment tools have been developed and validated in PC. It is not clear how QoL should be measured in PC practice. A procedure of QoL assessment in clinical practice can be defined as a clinical intervention focused on QoL assessment. This is a typical complex intervention that should be appropriately developed and described in all its components and assessed for its effectiveness. The aim of this study is to define a framework to help researchers to develop and evaluate clinical interventions focused on QoL assessment in PC.
  
  
  METHODS
  A study group of experts in PC and in research methodology was set up to define a framework that would describe the principles of clinical interventions focused on QoL assessment in PC. The study group discussed the WHO Population Screening Principles as a possible useful framework. The new principles had to be developed taking into account the following criteria: 1) specific to PC practice; 2) address a single underlying characteristic; 3) anchored to relevant literature; 4) consistent with the WHO PC definition.With regard to contents and the format of the principles, discussions occurred among the study group members through a cognitive process.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We reviewed each of the WHO Population Screening Principles and adapted them to QoL assessment, taking into account the defined criteria. As a result, a new framework, the QoL Assessment Principles in Palliative Care was developed. It consisted of 4 sections, for a total of 11 principles.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The WHO Screening Principles framework was used to outline the eleven essential principles to be considered in developing and/or evaluating clinical interventions focused on QoL assessment in PC. The QoL Assessment Principles in Palliative Care identified could represent a methodological and ethical standard to be considered when developing and evaluating a clinical intervention focused on QoL assessment in PC.
authors: IRCCS AOU San Martino - IST Istituto Nazionale per la Ricerca sul Cancro, Genoa, Italy. gianluca.catania@istge.it
authors: Gianluca
authors: G
authors: Catania
authors: Massimo
authors: M
authors: Costantini
authors: Monica
authors: M
authors: Beccaro
authors: Annamaria
authors: A
authors: Bagnasco
authors: Loredana
authors: L
authors: Sasso
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000523:psychology* / Q000592:standards; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*