Development of a valid and reliable instrument to easily measure quality of life (QOL) has been identified by prominent investigators and health authorities as a priority and for public and epidemiologic research. Many NIH clinical trials and other health researchers supplement standard morbidity and mortality outcomes with QOL indicators such as functional status, effective functioning, and emotional status. Often these measures are not constructed according to sound psychometric scaling methods. Those that have adequate validity and reliability are either too narrowly focused or are too long. This finepoint of this initiative will be an easily administered multi- dimensional quality of life measure, designed especially for cardiovascular diseases, that is sensitive enough to discriminate QOL differences between treatment alternatives in clinical trials evaluating medical or surgical interventions. In Phase I of this initiative, a prototype instrument was developed.
The specific aims of Phase II are to: (1) develop a shorter instrument and appropriate scoring method that taps important QOL domains, (2) demonstrate that the instrument is reliable and internally consistent, (3) compare reliability scores according to two modes of administration (telephone and in-person), and (4) demonstrate validity and responsiveness to change of the shortened QOL scale.
