title: [Quality of life and schizophrenia: Which evaluation scale for which quality of life?].
abstract: The concept of quality of life is an old one, but used extensively in the literature since the 90s with a growing number of instruments. Such diversity makes it difficult for clinicians to choose the most appropriate one regarding their divergence on different aspects including how to use them (especially self-questionnaire versus clinician based semi-structure interview), for what aim (from cost perspective, to functionality and/or subjective well-beingness), relying on what dimensions (as the covered quality of life dimensions are not always overlapping), and in which clinical settings (especially according to the availability or not of trained clinicians, and depending of the available time for such assessments). The aim of the literature review is to describe the most frequently used and/or quoted quality of life instruments in schizophrenia, and to describe their different characteristics and specificities in order to help clinicians to find the most appropriate one according to expectancies, possibilities and interests. In this review, we were able to collect 23 instruments, which need between 3 and 60min to fill-in, are relying in between 5 and 146 items, and allowing the assessment of 1 to 14 different quality of life dimensions. The two extremes could be the EuroQOL, which only has 5 self-report questions (with a visual analogical scale, for the rating procedure) and therefore needing only a couple of minutes, and the Quality of Life Scale which needs an initial training for quotation, relies on a semi-structured interview screening 21 items that are used to assess four different dimensions. Because of the heterogeneity of the broad concept of quality of life, and especially the diversity of the expectancies of the different instruments, it is not surprising that so many instruments are being proposed. But this statement reinforces the requirement that clinicians use the most adequate one, not only according to the expectancies, but also taking into account the local possibilities, especially regarding time to fill in the instrument and the possibility for clinicians to be trained if needed.
authors.affiliation: EA 7280, CHU CMP B, université d'Auvergne, BP 69, 63003 Clermont-Ferrand cedex 1, France. Electronic address: pmllorca@chu-clermontferrand.fr.
authors.forename: P-M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Llorca
authors.affiliation: CMME, hôpital Sainte-Anne, 1, rue Cabanis, 75674 Paris cedex 14, France.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gorwood
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D011594:Psychometrics; D011788:Quality of Life; D012559:Schizophrenia; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Evaluation scale; Quality of life; Qualité de vie; Schizophrenia; Schizophrénie; Échelles d’évaluation