TABLE 1.

Summary of Prevalent Concepts and Measurements of Quality of Life

	HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE (HRQOL)	OVERALL QUALITY OF LIFE (OQOL)
Definition	An individual’s perception of the effects of illness on the physical, mental, and social dimensions of his/ her well-being	An individual’s perception of his/her position in life in the context of the culture and value systems in which he/she lives and as related to his/her goals, expectations, standards, and concerns
Paradigm	Symptoms, pathology	Wellness
Instrument	SF-36, SF-12	WHOQOL-100, WHOQOL-BREF
Domains	Physical, mental, social health	Physical, mental (including spiritual), and social health, and living environment (e.g., housing, finances, safety, access to care)
What is assessed	Limitations in functioning due to disease	Objective functioning and satisfaction with functioning
Treatment focus	Symptom reduction	Maximized overall functioning and life satisfaction