HIV Outcomes maps Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) in Health Policy & Practice

We are pleased to share our assessment on the use of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) by the European Union institutions and agencies, as well as by global health organisations present in WHO Europe, spanning the last 20 years. The concept of HRQoL can be traced back to the 1970s but it has only recently entered health policy and practice beyond the area of clinical trials. Main findings: there is widespread use of HRQoL both in EU legislation and non-legislative documents (e.g., technical reports, annexes accompanying legislation, etc.); traditionally used in the area of health technology assessment (HTA), the use of the concept has recently expanded for people to self-report their health outcomes; most definitions subscribe to the WHO definition of health (1948) and concur on its subjective and multi-disciplinary nature, even if QoL / HRQoL are used often interchangeably; the concept is well anchored beyond the EU institutions in the context of OECD and is making inroads into the WHO work.