The Journal of heart and lung transplantation : the official publication of the International Society for Heart Transplantation
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J. Heart Lung Transplant. · Oct 1996
Measurement of health-related quality of life before and after heart-lung transplantation.
The measurement of the quality of the outcome of treatment as viewed by patients is becoming increasingly recognized as an important aspect of decision making in all health services. This major study, which set out to measure the health-related quality of life outcomes of heart and lung transplantation, developed from the experience gained in the United Kingdom and United States studies of the cost and benefits of heart transplantation in the 1980s. ⋯ Highly significant improvements were observed in the physical, social, and emotional dimensions of health-related quality of life of patients after heart-lung transplantation. The advantages and feasibility of combining generic and condition-specific questionnaires are shown together with the need to develop new measures with greater sensitivity to the smaller peaks and troughs of recovery.