The QOL database has been made available as a resource to those who have found the information contained valuable.

Please be advised that the information was last posted in 2008 and currently there are no plans to update the content.

This site was designed for researchers, clinicians, industrial groups, and other interested parties who wish to learn about patient-oriented quality of life (QOL) measures that are useful in the study and management of respiratory disease.

Quality of life (QOL) is a complex, abstract, and multidimensional concept that is difficult to define and measure 1, 2, 3. Consequently, various conceptual and operational definitions have been used in quality of life studies 1, 4, 5. To be able to document the effects of health care interventions on patient outcomes in lung disease, we believe it is useful to distinguish among the various key concepts being measured under the rubric of quality of life. Therefore, we have established definitions of quality of life and related concepts based on a framework proposed by Wilson and Cleary 6, with some revisions drawn from research in lung disease. (Unless otherwise indicated the conceptual definitions here are our own, and not those of Wilson & Cleary.)

The goal of this website is to provide information about quality of life and functional status instruments that have been used in assessing patients with pulmonary disease or critical illness. Inclusion of an instrument in this website should not be interpreted as an endorsement of the instrument. Inclusion criteria which we used to select instruments may be examined. This site does not at this time incorporate a formal process of evaluating or rating instruments.

Finally, we have taken some pains to explain some of the key measurement issues that relate to the instruments. These explanations--e.g., of such terms as "reliability" and "validity"--are necessarily brief, but should serve as an adequate introduction to key measurement issues.

We regret that we are unable to adequately review questionnaires published other than in the english language. 

References

1. Bergner M. Quality of life, health status, and clinical research. Med Care 1989;27:S148-S156.
2. Cella DF. Quality of life: Concepts and definition. J Pain Symptom Manage 1994;9:186-192.
3. Mast ME. Definition and measurement of quality of life in oncology nursing research: Review and theoretical implications. Oncol Nurs Forum 1995;22:957-964.
4. Gill TM, Feinstein AR. A critical appraisal of the quality of quality of life measurements. JAMA 1994;272:619-626.
5. Jones PW. Measurement of quality of life in chronic obstructive lung disease. Eur Respir Rev 1991;1:445-453.
6. Wilson IB, Cleary PD. Linking clinical variables with health-related quality of life. JAMA 1995;273(1):59-65.