Assessing health-related quality of life for clinical decision-making

Abstract

Health-care professionals from many specialties and disciplines are becoming increasingly aware that one of the major goals of medical care and technology is to improve patients' quality of life. Enhancing quality of life is as important as other goals of health and medical care, such as preventing disease, effecting a cure, alleviating symptoms or pain, averting complications, providing humane care, and prolonging life.