Assessment of quality of life in HIV disease

In recent years, emerging technology to assess patient experience has been adapted and applied to HIV-infected populations. While methods to assess quality of life are as yet imperfect, and are unfamiliar to clinicians and biological scientists, they are sufficiently advanced to add useful information to evaluations of treatments, patient care, and health policy. HIV disease diminishes quality of life, while treatments for HIV can both improve and diminish quality of life. In evaluating the efficacy of treatments, it is important to account for all of these effects. Since it is possible to extend survival at the cost of diminishing quality of life, patient-level decisions should be based on the person's individual needs and preferences about the balance of quantity and quality of life. In making policy decisions about the provision of services and programs, analyses should include quality of life in the definitions of effectiveness and cost-effectiveness. Explicit consideration of quality of life may help improve the lives of people with HIV.