Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation
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To determine the factors associated with short-term recovery of health status following chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbation. ⋯ Reducing exacerbation frequency and provision of adequate PCP follow-up after ED visit may help improve the recovery of health status following acute exacerbations of COPD.
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The objective of this study was to understand systematic differences in utility values derived from the EQ-5D and the SF-6D in two respiratory populations with heterogeneous disease severity. ⋯ Results suggest the EQ-5D and SF-6D do not yield consistent utility values in patients with asthma and COPD due to differences in underlying valuation techniques and the EQ-5D's limited response options relative to mild disease.
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To compare the EQ-5D and SF-6D within socio-demographic and clinical groups in a representative sample (n = 1,005) of the Greek general population and to examine mean utility differences across groups differing in health in this population and in a highly morbid disease sample (diabetes, n = 215). ⋯ The hypotheses that EQ-5D generates higher scores in healthier populations and the SF-6D in less healthier groups were confirmed. Based on the evidence provided here, EQ-5D and SF-6D measuring discrepancies generate utility differences across VAS-based health groups, which warrant further within-sample investigation.
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In this narrative article, the author, a long-term cancer survivor, reflects on his personal interactions with the healthcare system over a period of 14 years in order to highlight the importance of delivering patient-centered care. He makes a case for why quality of care assessments are incomplete if they focus on clinical indicators of quality alone and exclude systematic assessment of the patient-centered aspects of care from the patient's perspective. The important role played by patient-centered care in reducing patient suffering and enhancing well-being is underscored in this commentary.
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Cognitive Interviewing (CI) is a technique increasingly used to obtain respondent feedback on potential items during questionnaire development. No standard guidelines exist by which to incorporate CI feedback in deciding to retain, revise, or eliminate potential items. We used CI in developing fatigue items for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Roadmap initiative. Our aims were to describe the CI process, formally evaluate the utility of decisions made on the basis of CI, and offer suggestions for future research. ⋯ CI was useful in developing the PROMIS fatigue items and the methods used to judge CI for the present item set may be useful for future investigations.