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# Health-related quality of life: what it measures and how it is used

- Topic

How illness and treatment change the way a person feels and lives, measured with the patient's own answers.

Updated Nov 13, 2026

## Key points

- Quality of life is the patient's own perception; the clinician's opinion does not replace it.
- Domains: physical, psychological, social and functional.
- Generic instruments compare diseases; specific ones detect change in one disease.
- A questionnaire is only valid in the language and culture where it was validated.
- HRQoL is a core outcome in chronic disease, palliative care and clinical trials.

## What it is

Quality of life is, in the World Health Organization's words, a person's perception of their position in life within their culture and values, in relation to their goals and concerns. Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is the part of it that health affects: physical function, symptoms such as pain and fatigue, mental health, social roles and daily activities. It is measured with questionnaires the patient answers, and it complements the clinical view, which often misses how much a disease limits a person's life.

## Key facts

- HRQoL is subjective and multidimensional: physical, psychological, social and functional domains.
- Generic instruments (for example the WHOQOL-BREF, SF-36 or EQ-5D) compare across diseases and populations; disease-specific ones are more sensitive to change in one condition.
- The CDC Healthy Days questions ask about self-rated health and the number of days in the past month with poor physical or mental health or limited activity.
- Questionnaires must be translated, culturally adapted and validated for the population where they are used, including Colombian Spanish.
- Uses: outcome in clinical trials, follow-up of chronic disease, shared decisions, health economics (quality-adjusted life years) and population surveillance.

## Step by step

- Ask open questions about daily life: work, study, family, sleep, mood and what the illness stops the person from doing.
- Use a validated questionnaire when the service or study requires it, explaining its purpose and confidentiality.
- Let the patient answer alone, except for help with reading, so the answers stay their own.
- Score it as the instrument's manual describes and record the date, to compare over time.
- Discuss the results with the patient and use them in the care plan, not only as a number.

## Memory aid

Ask the person, not the chart: the body, the mind, the people around and the daily tasks.

## Test yourself

Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it.

## How does the WHO define quality of life?

As a person's perception of their position in life, in the context of their culture and value systems and in relation to their goals, expectations and concerns.

## What is the difference between generic and disease-specific quality of life instruments?

Generic instruments compare across diseases and populations; disease-specific ones focus on one condition and detect change in it better.

## Why can't an English questionnaire simply be translated and used in Colombia?

It must be culturally adapted and validated in the new population so that the questions mean the same thing and the scores are reliable.

## What do the CDC Healthy Days questions ask?

Self-rated general health and the number of days in the past 30 with poor physical health, poor mental health or limited usual activities.

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## Connections

## Related 5

- [The medical interview: rapport, open questions and listening](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/the-medical-interview-rapport-open-questions-and-listening/)
- [The clinical history: its parts and their order](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/the-clinical-history-its-parts-and-their-order/)
- [Comprehensive geriatric assessment: function, cognition, falls](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/comprehensive-geriatric-assessment-function-cognition-falls/)
- [Pain assessment and pain scales](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/pain-assessment-and-pain-scales/)
- [From findings to diagnosis: problem list, differential and SOAP note](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/from-findings-to-diagnosis-problem-list-differential-and-soap-note/)

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Educational content on the clinical exam; it is learned and practised under supervision. It does not replace assessment by a health professional and is not for self-diagnosis.

Sources: [WHOQOL - Measuring Quality of Life| The World Health Organization](https://www.who.int/tools/whoqol) (World Health Organization, 2026); [HRQOL Methods and Measures | CDC](https://archive.cdc.gov/www_cdc_gov/hrqol/methods_measures.htm) (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2026).

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Representative model, for educational purposes only.

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License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Cite as: DurgiPedia (durgical.com), https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/health-related-quality-of-life-what-it-measures-and-how-it-is-used/