Quality of Life Therapy and Assessment in Health Care

An integrative model of quality of life is proposed as a way to correct for terminological inconsistencies and to guide further quality of life research and health care applications. Research and theory supporting the need for routine quality of life assessment and intervention in general medicine, psychiatry, clinical psychology, behavioral medicine, and gerontology are discussed. Clinical guidelines for and research on quality of life assessment and intervention in health care are presented and reviewed. An integrated service delivery system in which quality of life assessments and interventions are considered coequal with those aimed at ameliorating physical and psychological symptoms is proposed along with a future program of research.