Quality of life

Quality of life is a broad, multidimensional concept of an individual’s subjective evaluation of aspects of their life, including domains such as physical, social, spiritual and emotional wellbeing, as well as other areas such as their environment, employment, education and leisure time. Within this wide-ranging definition, health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is used to refer to the impact a medical condition and/or treatment has on a patient’s functioning and wellbeing. HRQoL is increasingly being measured in clinical trials alongside other outcome measures to evaluate the full range of effects of an intervention (e.g. a new medicine) from the patients’ perspective.