Health-related quality of life

For many years the outcomes of medical treatments have been measured primarily in terms of death, disability or cure but it is increasingly acknowledged that health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is an important additional outcome measure. Over the past 30 years several HRQoL instruments have been developed and most of them applied to studies of cancer or chronic diseases, generally to compare treatment outcomes in the context of clinical trials. A wide variety of instruments is currently available, which leaves the researcher with a confusing array of options.  The main objective of this review is to present to researchers and practitioners in the field of Obstetrics and Gynecology a brief overview of the different aspects of HRQoL, how HRQoL is measured, and the different instruments developed to measure it.