[A new perspective on measuring quality of life using the capability approach]

Healthcare evaluations are used for optimal allocation of healthcare budgets. Most studies assess the effects of care in terms of Quality-Adjusted Life Years (QALY): the product of survival and quality of life per life year. Currently, quality of life is determined by questionnaires that measure mostly in terms of what a person actually 'does' or 'is' (functioning). This approach has some practical and ethical limitations which affect how we value our healthcare system. In the past decades, an alternative movement called the capability approach has attracted considerable interest. This philosophy advocates enabling people in terms of capabilities: that is, the extent to which a person is able or willing to function. This ensures that people have the freedom to achieve without a particular belief as to what constitutes a good life being imposed upon them. The ICEpop CAPability measure for Adults (ICECAP) questionnaire was developed in the United Kingdom by Coast et al. to evaluate quality of life based on this approach. Dutch translations of ICECAP-A (for adults) and ICECAP-O (for the elderly) are available and may prove to be especially beneficial in fields where treatment effects are not confined to health gains.