The purpose of this article is to analyze how the concept of quality of life (QOL) is currently being defined and used within health care. An on-line search of the phrase QOL in Medline, Cinahl, Psyc-Info, Eric, and Social Science Abstract provided a list of 16,021 articles published between 1993 and 1998. A convenience sample of 65 research and theoretical articles from the 1990s was examined to determine current usage and definitions of the concept of QOL across disciplines. Analysis was conducted, and a definition of the concept QOL, based on the analysis, is offered.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Aaronson, N. K. (1990). Quality of life research in cancer clinical trials: A need for common rules and language. Oncology, 4(5), 59-66.
2.
Aaronson, N. K. (1991). Methodologic issues in assessing the quality of life of cancer patients. Cancer, 67, 844-850.
3.
The American Heritage Dictionary. (1992). Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
4.
Bach, M. , & Rioux, M. H. (1996). Social well-being. In R. Renwick, I. Brown, & M. Nagler (Eds.), Quality of life in health promotion and rehabilitation (pp. 63-74). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
5.
Bowling, A. (1995). What things are important in people’s lives? A survey of the public’s judgments to inform scales of health related quality of life. Social Science & Medicine, 42, 1447-1462.
6.
Brown, I. , Renwick, R., & Nagler, M. (1996). The centrality of quality of life in health promotion and rehabilitation. In R. Renwick, I. Brown,& M. Nagler (Eds.), Quality of life in health promotion and rehabilitation (pp. 3-13). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
7.
Day, H. , & Jankey, S. G. (1996). Lessons from the literature: Toward a holistic model of quality of life. In R. Renwick, I. Brown, & M. Nagler (Eds.), Quality of life in health promotion and rehabilitation (pp. 39-62). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
8.
Farquhar, M. (1995). Elderly people’s definitions of quality of life. Social Science & Medicine, 41, 1439-1446.
9.
Ferrans, C. E. (1990). Quality of life: Conceptual issues. Seminars in Oncology Nursing, 6, 248-254.
10.
Ferrans, C. E. (1997). Development of a conceptual model of quality of life. In A. G. Gift (Ed.), Clarifying concepts in nursing research (pp. 110-121). New York: Springer.
11.
Ferrell, B. R. (1996). The quality of lives: 1,525 voices of cancer. Oncology Nursing Forum, 23, 909-916.
12.
Fryback, P. B. (1993). Health for people with a terminal diagnosis. Nursing Science Quarterly, 6, 147-159.
13.
Guyatt, G. H. , Feeny, D. H., & Patrick, D. L. (1993). Measuring health-related quality of life. Annals of Internal Medicine, 118, 622-629.
14.
Guyatt, G. H. , Jaeschke, R., Feeny, D. H., & Patrick, D. L. (1996). Measurements in clinical trials: Choosing the right approach. In B. Spilker (Ed.), Quality of life and pharmacoeconomics in clinical trials (pp. 41-48). Philadelphia: Lippincott-Raven.
15.
Haas, B. K. (1999). Clarification of similar quality of life concepts. Image: Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 31, 215-220.
16.
Hlatky, M. S. , Rogers, W. J., Johnstone, I., Boothroyd, D., Brooks, M. M., Pitt, B., Reeder, G., Ryan, T., Smith, H., Whitlow, P., Wiens, R., & Mark, D. B. (1997). Medical care costs and quality of life after randomization to coronary angioplasty or coronary bypass surgery. New England Journal of Medicine, 336, 92-99.
17.
Kagawa-Singer, M. (1993). Redefining health: Living with cancer. Social Science & Medicine, 37, 295-304.
18.
King, C. R. , Haberman, M., Berry, D. L., Bush, N., Butler, L., Dow, K. H., Ferrell, B., Grant, M., Gue, D., Hinds, P., Kreuer, J., Padilla, G., & Underwood, S. (1997). Quality of life and the cancer experience: The state-of-the-knowledge. Oncology Nursing Forum, 24, 27-41.
19.
Kleinpell, R. M. (1991). Concept analysis of quality of life. Dimensions of Critical Care Nursing, 19, 223-229.
20.
Mast, M. E. (1995). Definition and measurement of quality of life in oncology nursing research: Review and theoretical implications. Oncology Nursing Forum, 22, 957-964.
21.
Meeberg, G. A. (1993). Quality of life: A concept analysis. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 18, 32-38.
22.
Moch, S. D. (1989). Health within illness: Conceptual evolution and practice possibilities. Advances in Nursing Science, 11(4), 23-31.
23.
Moch, S. D. (1990). Health with in the experience of breast cancer. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 15, 1426-1435.
24.
Morreim, E. H. (1992). Medical ethics and the future of quality of life research. Progress in Cardiovascular Nursing, 7, 12-17.
25.
Mount, B. M. , & Cohen, S. R. (1995). Quality of life in the face of life-threatening illness: What should we be measuring?Current Oncology, 2, 121-125.
26.
Oleson, M. (1990). Subjectively perceived quality of life. Image: Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 22, 187-190.
27.
The Oxford English Dictionary. (1989). Oxford, UK: Clarendon Press.
28.
Random House Dictionary of the English Language. (1987). New York: Random House.
29.
Schipper, H. , Clinch, J., & Powell, V. (1990). Definitions and conceptual issues. In B. Spilker (Ed.), Quality of life assessments in clinical trials (pp. 11-24). New York: Raven Press.
30.
Sneeuw, K.C.A. , Aaronson, N. K., Sprangers, M.A.G., Detmar, S. B., Wever, L.D.V., & Schornagel, J. H. (1997). Value of caregiver ratings in evaluating the quality of life of patients with cancer. Journal of Clinical Oncology, 15, 1206-1217.
31.
Spilker, B. (1990). Introduction. In B. Spilker (Ed.), Quality of life assessments in clinical trials (pp. 3-10). New York: Raven Press.
32.
Walker, L. O. ,& Avant, K.C. (1995). Strategies for theory construction in nursing. Norwalk, CT: Appleton & Lange.
33.
Weinryb, R. M. , Gustavsson, J. P., Liljeqvist, L., Poppen, B., & Rossel, R. J. (1997). A prospective study of personality as a predictor of quality of life after pelvic pouch surgery. American Journal of Surgery, 173, 83-87.
