Winter, Virginia; Powell, Jane H. and Greenwood, Richard. 2005. The problem of quality of life after traumatic brain injury: Conceptual and measurement issues. Acta Neuropsychiatrica, 3(1-2), pp. 36-47. ISSN 1601-5215 [Article]

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Abstract or Description

Objective. Researchers and clinicians have become increasingly interested in the measurement of 'quality of life' (QoL) as an outcome after traumatic brain injury. However, ambiguity continues to surround the issues of definition and measurement of the concept. The literature in this field continues to expand and clinicians are beginning to utilise QoL measures throughout the course of TBI rehabilitation. This paper delineates the conceptual issues and outlines some of the problems inherent in measuring QoL, particularly after TBI.
Conclusions. Numerous objective health-related QoL measures have been developed and/or validated for use within the TBI population. They provide important information about the concrete effects of TBI on daily life. However, subjective QoL should not be inferred, either implicitly or explicitly, from these measures, as is frequently the case. Instead, more attention should be focused on the development of reliable tools for measuring subjective QoL after TBI, accounting for the specific characteristics of this population. These tools should not be considered a replacement for the more traditional objective measures but should be used in combination with those measures to form a comprehensive assessment of outcomes.

Item Type:	Article
Departments, Centres and Research Units:	Psychology
Dates:	Date Event 2005 Published
Item ID:	5404
Date Deposited:	28 Mar 2011 12:51
Last Modified:	04 Jul 2017 10:39
Peer Reviewed:	Yes, this version has been peer-reviewed.
URI:	https://research.gold.ac.uk/id/eprint/5404

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