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Health-Related Quality of Life in Pain Medicine: A Review of Theory and Practice

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Handbook of Disease Burdens and Quality of Life Measures

Abstract:

Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) represents a valid means by which to assess the patient's own subjective yet vital perspective on the adverse impact of his or her pain and its treatment. Routinely assessing HRQOL in adult and pediatric health care can facilitate patient-physician communication, improve patient/parent satisfaction, identify hidden morbidities, and assist in clinical decision-making. Unique instruments exist to measure HRQOL within and across various cultures in adults as well as in children and adolescents. HRQOL is founded primarily on functionalism and reflects the currently recognized importance of assessing and treating not only the biological but also the psychological and social factors contributing to a patient's chronic pain condition. The primary HRQOL domains are physical functioning, psychological functioning, social functioning and role activities, and individuals' overall life satisfaction and perceptions of their health status. HRQOL instruments fall into three basic categories: generic measures, condition-specific measures, and preference-based measures, with each category serving a specific pain-related clinical practice and clinical research purpose. Generic Health-Related Quality of Life measures provide a common metric for comparisons across pain treatments, conditions, or populations, whereas condition-specific Health-Related Quality of Life measures can identify small baseline differences and incremental changes in the unique and often most relevant aspects of a specific pain condition. Condition-specific HRQOL instruments thus serve as complements to rather than substitutes for generic measures. Further attention needs to be focused on measuring HRQOL in the pediatric setting, as well as in the palliative care and postoperative settings.

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Abbreviations

CHIP:

child health and illness profile

CHQ:

child health questionnaire

COOP:

Dartmouth primary care cooperative information charts

EQ-5D:

euro quality of life-5D

HIT-6:

headache impact test

HRQOL:

health related quality of life

HUI:

health utilities index

IMMPACT:

initiative on methods, measurement, and pain assessment in clinical trials

IRT:

item response theory

NHP:

Nottingham health profile

PedsQL:

pediatric quality of life inventory

QALY:

quality adjusted life year

QOL:

quality of life

QWB:

quality of well-being scale

SF-36:

36-item short-form health survey

SF-6D:

short form-6D

SIP:

sickness impact profile

VAS:

visual analogue scale

WHO:

world health organization

WHOQOL:

World Health Organization Quality of Life Instrument

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Authors
  1. T. R. Vetter
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. Nutrition and Dietetics Nutritional Sciences Research Division School of Biomedical & Health Sciences, King's College London, Franklin‐Wilkins Building 150 Stamford Street, SE1 9NH, London, UK

    Victor R. Preedy (Prof.) (Prof.)

  2. Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, University of Arizona, Health Science Center 1295 N. Martin, P.O. Box 245155, 85724-5155, Tucson, AZ

    Ronald R. Watson (Prof.) (Prof.)

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Vetter, T.R. (2010). Health-Related Quality of Life in Pain Medicine: A Review of Theory and Practice. In: Preedy, V.R., Watson, R.R. (eds) Handbook of Disease Burdens and Quality of Life Measures. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-78665-0_228

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-78665-0_228

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