Quality-of-life assessment in palliative care

Quality-of-life assessment can be a helpful tool in ensuring optimal palliative care. To adequately assess quality of life, it must be first defined and subsequently measured. This article outlines several of the instruments available to measure quality of life, including the Karnofsky Score, Edmonton Symptom Assessment, Memorial Symptoms Assessment Scale, European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Questionnaire, Quality and Quantity of Life Short Questionnaire, and Cambridge Palliative Assessment Schedule. Use of these instruments in the context of goal-setting and family meetings as well as common pitfalls in quality-of-life assessment are outlined.