Does quality of life assessment in palliative care look like a complex screening program?

Area of Science:

• Palliative Care Research
• Health Services Research
• Quality of Life Assessment

Background:

• Palliative Care (PC) aims to enhance Quality of Life (QoL), yet standardized QoL measurement in clinical practice remains unclear.
• QoL assessment in PC is a complex clinical intervention requiring robust development and evaluation.
• Existing QoL assessment tools in PC lack a unified framework for intervention development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish a framework for developing and evaluating clinical interventions focused on Quality of Life (QoL) assessment in Palliative Care (PC).
• To define essential principles for QoL assessment within the context of PC practice.
• To guide researchers in creating effective and ethical QoL assessment strategies in PC.

Main Methods:

• An expert study group convened to develop a framework for QoL assessment interventions in PC.
• The World Health Organization (WHO) Population Screening Principles were adapted as a foundational framework.
• Principles were refined based on criteria specific to PC, literature, and WHO definitions.

Main Results:

• A novel framework, the QoL Assessment Principles in Palliative Care, was developed.
• The framework comprises 4 sections and outlines 11 essential principles.
• These principles are derived from adapted WHO Screening Principles, tailored for PC.

Conclusions:

• The developed framework provides eleven key principles for QoL assessment interventions in PC.
• The QoL Assessment Principles in Palliative Care can serve as a methodological and ethical standard.
• This framework aids in the development and evaluation of QoL assessment interventions in PC settings.