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Quality of life in patients with coronary heart disease-I: assessment tools

David R Thompson1, Cheuk-Man Yu

  • 1Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, Prince of Wales Hospital, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong. davidthompson@cuhk.edu.hk

Health and Quality of Life Outcomes
|September 25, 2003
PubMed

Insights

Assessing health-related quality of life (HRQL) in coronary heart disease (CHD) patients requires careful tool selection. Choosing the right instrument depends on its properties and suitability for specific research or clinical needs.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Health Outcomes Research
  • Psychometrics

Background:

  • Health-related quality of life (HRQL) assessment is crucial for understanding disease impact and treatment effectiveness.
  • Coronary heart disease (CHD) significantly affects patients' lives, necessitating robust HRQL evaluation.
  • Numerous instruments exist for HRQL assessment, but consensus on definition and optimal tools remains debated.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review and discuss the assessment of HRQL in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD).
  • To highlight the importance of selecting appropriate tools for HRQL measurement in CHD.
  • To provide guidance on choosing HRQL instruments based on specific criteria.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review focusing on HRQL assessment tools for coronary heart disease (CHD) patients.
  • Analysis of generic versus disease-specific HRQL instruments.
  • Evaluation of criteria for selecting appropriate HRQL assessment tools.

Main Results:

  • A wide array of HRQL assessment instruments are available for CHD patients.
  • Both generic and disease-specific tools have merits, with ongoing debate regarding their relative advantages.
  • No single definition of HRQL is universally agreed upon.

Conclusions:

  • The selection of HRQL assessment tools for CHD patients should be based on psychometric properties.
  • Consideration must be given to how well an instrument covers relevant health domains.
  • The specific clinical or research purpose is a critical factor in choosing the most appropriate HRQL instrument.

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