Evaluación de la calidad de vida

Résumé 0

This paper reviews the methods and principles for qualityof life assessment. The aging of the population and the improvedsurvival of people with acute and chronic conditionshave produced several levels of disability requiringlong-term treatment and rehabilitation. In 1948 the WorldHealth Organization defined health as not merely the absenceof disease but rather a state of complete physical,mental, and social well being. This term evolved from itsconceptual definition to the development of scales to measurethe quality of life beyond physical status. Thus, qualityof life assessment includes areas such as mental health, socialsupport, and life satisfaction. It is recognized that theexpectations, vitality, pain, disability, and personal experiencesinfluence the perception of a person’s general health.A composite measurement aimed to quantify health accordingto physical, mental, and social well being simultaneouslywould likely find people at different points on the threedifferent continua, but in the midranges of the composite.The multidimensionality problems and the level of subjectivityinvolved in the assessment of the quality of life requirevalid and reliable instruments. This paper present aninventory of 126 questionnaires aimed to measure the qualityof life for several diseases and populations. A better understandingof the methods to assess the quality of life willallow the incorporation of these instruments in the comprehensiveassessment of patients, into clinical trials, andfor health services research. The English version of this paperis available at: http://www.insp.mx/salud/index.html