Articles ASSESSING QUALITY OF LIFE AFTER ONCOLOGIC SURGERY: PATIENT PERSPECTIVES

Health-related quality of life (HR-QoL) is a significant health outcome of interest particularly in patients with cancer undergoing surgical procedures. In this paper, both quantitative and qualitative methods will be discussed in terms of their application to the measurement of QoL as well as the use of such formal assessment tools as EORTC QLQ-C30 and informal semi-structured interviews. Two major difficulties in assessing QoL changes over time are its inherently qualitative and unstable elements, and psychometric problems of assessment tools, as well as potential biases in follow-up studies. QoL is enhanced based on psychological; Counseling and mindfulness-based approaches and rehabilitation that entails functional-based therapy and diet/ activity/sleep/relationship basis. Future research could focus on QoL as an outcome measure in specific diseases or populations, explore ways to apply patient-reported outcome technology to tailor dynamic and person-centered assessment methodologies, and examine the effects of designing tools that allow patients to receive instant feedback on their QoL to their clinicians’ practice and patients’ self-management behaviors. Getting the patient’s voice right is key in assessing the effectiveness of cancer surgery, as well as supporting care.