Quality of Life

Measurement of Quality of Life

Improving quality of life is a key aim of pulmonary rehabilitation programs and is highly valued by patients.

A validated measure of health-related quality of life should be included in the evaluation of a pulmonary rehabilitation program with the same questionnaire completed prior to and on completion of the program.

The following questionnaires are available:

Chronic Respiratory Disease Questionnaire (CRDQ or CRQ) – disease specific.

St George’s Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) – disease specific.

Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 36 (MOS SF 36) – generic.

COPD Assessment Test – CAT

Disease-specific questionnaires, validated for chronic respiratory disease, are more likely to be responsive to changes after pulmonary rehabilitation and more sensitive to specific respiratory issues.

Compared to the disease-specific questionnaires, generic questionnaires provide a more overall view of the respiratory patient’s quality of life and can be readily compared with other illness groups.  However, these questionnaires have lower responsiveness and sensitivity.

The important features of each of these questionnaires are summarised in the Pulmonary Rehabilitation Toolkit table.