THE ROUTINE USE OF HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY-OF-LIFE MEASURES IN THE CARE OF PATIENTS WITH EPILEPSY - RATIONALE AND RESEARCH AGENDA

Reliable and valid patient-completed questionnaires to assess the health related quality of life (HRQOL) of people with epilepsy are becoming increasingly available. At present, however, they are not routinely used in epilepsy patients' care. The use of HRQOL measurement in clinical practice settings may improve the quality of care for people with epilepsy through (1) increasing the detection of patients' problems with daily functioning and well-being: (2) guiding therapeutic management; and (3) leading to improvements in patients' HRQOL and satisfaction with care. To realize the potential benefits of HRQOL assessment in the care of people with epilepsy, research into the feasibility of the office-based use of HRQOL questionnaires, measurement quality, and the impact of routine HRQOL assessment on the quality of epilepsy patients' care needs to be undertaken. The transfer of HRQOL questionnaires from research tools into clinical tools requires the collaboration of social scientists, health services researchers, and clinicians. HRQOL questionnaires have the potential to become a new clinical tool which could enhance the quality of care physicians are able to provide for their patients with epilepsy.