For example, there is some evidence that, as a person adapts to a chronic condition, the condition may become less of a factor in how they feel about their overall health-related quality of life. That is, the duration of health conditions may modify health-related quality of life assessment, as individuals adapt to those conditions. In practice, however, existing health-related quality of life measures do not take into account the fact that how an individual thinks about a given health state may vary according to the length of time the condition has existed.

This exploratory study will begin to evaluate duration as a modifying factor related to quality of life assessment. The objective of the first phase of the exploratory study is to identify and describe, in a broad clinical context, how primary care patients regard condition or symptom duration as a factor in assessing health-related quality of life.

Early in the project, focus groups will provide insights into how patients and the general population view acute (short-term) and chronic (long-term) symptoms. For example, how is the temporary loss of the use of a limb evaluated compared to a permanent loss, or how does one evaluate acute pain vs. chronic pain? The information from these focus groups will subsequently inform the creation of some vignettes, or stories, that describe people with symptoms, some chronic and some acute. These vignettes will be given to patients with the described condition as well as those without the condition. The vignettes will be used to assess perspectives on health-related quality of life and time trade-off preferences using the core health measures being assessed in our research program (the SF-36, EQ-5D, QWB-SA, HUI). In particular, we will explore how respondents evaluate the quality of life associated with acute vs. chronic symptoms, and will compare how these evaluations might differ for patients with the condition vs. those without the condition.

The study is being directed by researchers in the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine at the University of California, San Diego.