[Is it quality of life that patients really want? Assessment from a general practitioner's perspective].
The multidimensional, complex construct of 'quality of life' as a patient-reported outcome is used in medicine as a measurable indicator of health and illness. But do we know what we do when we measure 'quality of life'? Can we grasp how the patient with his individual concept of disease really feels when we use instruments that were designed, administered and analysed by professionals? Do we know the meaning of what we have measured? Is it not shortsighted to focus on health-related quality of life? And is it really quality of life that patients actually want? From a general practitioner's perspective, these questions will be asked of three patients.
Institut für Allgemeinmedizin (ifam), Fakultät für Medizin, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf. Electronic address: stefan.wilm@med.uni-duesseldorf.de.
Stefan
S
Wilm
Institut für Allgemeinmedizin (ifam), Fakultät für Medizin, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf.
Verena
V
Leve
Institut für Allgemeinmedizin (ifam), Fakultät für Medizin, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf.
Sara
S
Santos
D000203:Activities of Daily Living / Q000523:psychology; D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D001168:Arthritis / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D003125:Colostomy / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D058006:General Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009378:Neoplasms, Multiple Primary / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care / Q000379:methods*; D059408:Pain Management / Q000523:psychology; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D012004:Rectal Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D012648:Self Care / Q000523:psychology
Hausarzt; Lebensqualität; Patienten; Quality of life; general practitioners; patients