Selection Criteria and Suggested Uses for Quality of Life Measures for Elders

Abstract

The Guide to Physical Therapist Practice lists quality of life as part of the outcomes physical therapists measure to determine the effectiveness of our interventions. This paper outlines a decision‐making process for selecting quality of life tools and provides suggestions for using the data obtained from a specific measure. Four case scenarios describe the processes for decision‐making and application within the context of a specific tool. The tools used to illustrate the decision‐making process include the Medical Outcomes Study SF‐36, the Dementia Quality of Life Instrument, the Parkinson's Disease Quality of Life Questionnaire, and the Subjective Health Rating.