Quality of Life in gastrointestinal disease--reports from working groups and conclusions

In this workshop Quality of Life (QOL) was discussed in relation to other measures such as treatment efficacy and cost-benefit in evaluation of clinical treatments. Demands from regulatory authorities, patients as well as nurses and doctors were believed to high-light the status of QOL measurements and use as an evaluation of medical regimens as well as of new medical treatments. Four different areas; inflammatory bowel disease, non-ulcer dyspepsia, peptic ulcer disease and surgical management of GI disease, were discussed in working groups. For inflammatory bowel disease the McMaster QOL instruments was suggested to be further developed and investigated. Non-ulcer dyspepsia was believed to differ from the other areas due to the lack of specific symptoms and evaluable factors. Peptic ulcer disease was suggested to be further evaluated by methods recently suggested by the SCUR group. Surgical management of GI disease was believed to be an important area for QOL assessment due to the fact that surgery is forever. Therefore the bases for decisions of surgical treatment has to involve such an instrument. The potential role of QOL assessments for politicians, pressure groups and health care authorities in the decision for funding, treatment regimens and individual investigators was also pointed out.