Last update:
15-Nov-2005

This research project attempts to identify the available instruments for measuring the health-related quality of life and/or its parameters for diabetes mellitus (DM) type 1 and type 2 in order to select the most appropriate scale to be used by general practitioners in Greece. Systematic searches of the following electronic databases: PubMed, EMBASE, Cinahl, MednetHELLAS and QOLID from Mapi Research Institute for the period from 1980 to 2002, were used to identify instruments that estimate the quality of life and its multidimensional constructs. Instruments were included in the review either if they were disease-specific in relation to healthrelated quality of life in DM or if their major focus was the various dimensions of quality of life in DM. Sixty instruments were identified, which refer to the quality of life in DM in general or assess specific parameters of it. Forty of these focus principally on the patient's well-being in physical, psychological and/or social functioning, 10 assess treatment satisfaction and evaluate the patient's knowledge, attitudes and beliefs about their disease. The most extensive instrument is DCP (diabetes care profile) with 234 items and the shortest is ADS (appraisal of diabetes scale) with 7 items. Numerous instruments have been developed and reported in the literature worldwide for assessing the quality of life in DM types 1 and 2. However, the most appropriate instrument is yet to be selected, translated and validated into Greek prior to its implementation in the field of primary health care in Greece.

Key words: Assessment, Diabetes mellitus, Quality of life, Scale, Specific instrument.