| Felicitometry: measuring the 'quality' in quality of life. | |
| | |
MedLine Citation:
|
PMID: 18522590 Owner: NLM Status: MEDLINE |
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
|
Following Bernheim,(1) we examine aspects of 'felicitometrics,'(2) the measurement of the 'quality' term in Quality of Life (QOL). Bernheim argued that overall QOL is best captured as the Gestalt(3) of a global self-assessment and suggested that the Anamnestic Comparative Self Assessment (ACSA) approach, in which subjects' memories of the best and worst times of their lives are used to anchor a Visual Analog Scale (VAS), provided a serious answer to the serious question, 'How have you been?' Bernheim compares and contrasts the ACSA to multi-item questionnaire QOL instruments, such as the SF-36, concluding that the ACSA has a number of advantages. His discussion assumes that the use of QOL outcomes in clinical trials is both relevant and appropriate. In the present paper, we document the reasonableness of this latter assumption,(4) contribute to the characterization of the similarities and differences between multi-item and individualized QOL instruments, and point to some other individualized instruments that may be used in clinical trial contexts. These 'other individualized instruments' differ from the ACSA in fundamental ways; but they are individualized in that the subject defines those areas in his/her life that are most important, and these may vary from subject-to-subject. |
| | |
Authors:
|
Charles Kowalski; Steven Pennell; Amiram Vinokur |
Publication Detail:
|
Type: Journal Article |
Journal Detail:
|
Title: Bioethics Volume: 22 ISSN: 1467-8519 ISO Abbreviation: Bioethics Publication Date: 2008 Jul |
Date Detail:
|
Created Date: 2008-06-04 Completed Date: 2008-06-24 Revised Date: 2009-11-19 |
Medline Journal Info:
|
Nlm Unique ID: 8704792 Medline TA: Bioethics Country: England |
Other Details:
|
Languages: eng Pagination: 307-13 Citation Subset: E; IM |
Affiliation:
|
University of Michigan - Dental School Ann Arbor, MI 48109, United States. chuckk@umich.edu |
Export Citation:
|
APA/MLA Format Download EndNote Download BibTex |
| MeSH Terms | |
Descriptor/Qualifier:
|
Clinical Trials as Topic
/
methods* Health Status Humans Pain Measurement / classification*, psychology Quality of Life* Quality-Adjusted Life Years Questionnaires Self Assessment (Psychology)* |
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
Previous Document: Rights, indirect harms and the non-identity problem.
Next Document: Giving addicts their drug of choice: the problem of consent.