A quality of life interview for the chronically mentally ill

During the past few years there has been increased interest in assessing the quality of life of the chronically mentally ill to assist in planning and evaluating programs for these patients. New initiatives to integrate and expand psychiatric, medical, and social services for the chronically mentall...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Evaluation and program planning 1988, Vol.11 (1), p.51-62
Main Author: Lehman, Anthony F.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
behavior disorders
Chronic Illness
interviews
Mental Illness
New York
psychiatric services
Quality of Life
social services
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Summary:During the past few years there has been increased interest in assessing the quality of life of the chronically mentally ill to assist in planning and evaluating programs for these patients. New initiatives to integrate and expand psychiatric, medical, and social services for the chronically mentally ill make such broad-based service evaluations all the more relevant. This paper describes the development and psychometric evaluation of a structured, 45-minute Quality of Life Interview for the chronically mentally ill. Based upon studies with nearly 500 chronically mentally ill patients, the interview has satisfactory reliability and validity. After a description of the interview, the author discusses several issues regarding the status of QOL assessments in this population, the potential relevance of such assessments to program development and evaluation, their potential applications in clinical practice, and persistent problems in interpreting and applying the results of QOL evaluations.
ISSN:0149-7189
DOI:10.1016/0149-7189(88)90033-X