Abstract
According to the World Health Organization Quality of Life Assessment Group (1998), health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is a broad multidimensional concept that typically encompasses self-reported measures of physical and mental health. HRQoL is an individually based, multidomain concept referring to how a health condition impacts a person's perception of their well- being. HRQoL encompasses several domains to include functional ability, psychological state, social function, and an individual's perception of his or her health. As life expectancy continues to increase, the rates of chronic disease will also continue to grow. Patient-centric outcomes that include HRQoL will become even more important as individuals adjust to living with chronic conditions such as heart failure (HF) and other cardiac conditions. This article features 4 HRQoL-related studies. The 1st article presents data on the ability to use HRQoL measurement to predict event-free survival in HF patients. The results have implications for potentially determining those most in need of additional intervention. The 2nd article looks at the relationship between cognitive impairment and HRQoL in HF patients. The 3rd and 4th articles present information on the effect of clinical interventions on HRQoL and other outcomes. One article describes a telephone-delivered collaborative care intervention to help postcoronary artery bypass graft patients with depressive symptoms. The other intervention article describes the success of a home-based cardiac rehabilitation program. Interested readers are encouraged to read the original articles for full information about the study methods and findings.