CHERE making its mark on Quality of Life

The measurement, analysis and interpretation of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) measures are important components of CHERE's research agenda.  In October, 3 of CHERE’s researchers, including the Centre’s Director, Professor Jane Hall, will present a series of papers and a number of workshops at the 11th Annual Conference of the International Society for Quality of Life Research, to be held in Hong Kong on 16-19th October. 

Dr Madeleine King, part of CHERE’s senior management team, is Chair of the Scientific Organising Committee for this conference.  Madeleine has led a large team of international HRQOL researchers in the multitude of necessary tasks over the past 18 months.  “Since quality of life can mean different things to different people at different times, the study of HRQOL is conceptually complex and methodologically challenging.  ISOQOL's annual scientific conferences always offer an interesting and informative mix of conceptual, methodological and practical sessions.” said Dr King. 

“This year's conference theme is 'Harmonizing International HRQOL Research' recognises the kaleidoscope that HRQOL is today. With so many cultures and languages around the globe, with different ways of defining and conceptualizing HRQOL, with so many instruments and scales to measure HRQOL, and so many different uses and users of HRQOL measures, this theme provides a timely focus for what promises to be a fascinating and rewarding conference,” Dr King said.

The conference brings together almost 400 international delegates from 66 countries. John E Ware Jr, the father of the most widely used health status assessment measure, the SF-36, will provide the conference’s keynote address.  Dr Ware has long provided leadership in harmonizing international HRQOL research, with his efforts in cross-cultural translation and cross-instrument calibration.

Professor Jane Hall, the Centre’s Director, will present a paper that determines what factors contribute to individual utility and therefore influence individuals’ participation in genetic screening, titled Understanding Consumer Preference and Measuring Utility for Genetic Screening.

Rosalie Viney, Senior Lecturer and Deputy Director of CHERE, will present a paper titled QALYS Reflect Preferences for Health Outcomes: A Discrete Choice Experiment.

In a presentation titled Quality of Life in the Two Years After Surgery for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer, Ms Patricia Kenny will present findings on a study that aims to describe the short and long term effects of treatment and disease on HRQOL.

Dr Madeleine King will co-present a workshop with Canadian oncologist Dr David Osoba, on the interpretation of HRQOL measures in clinical practice.  In addition, Professor Jane Hall, together with colleagues Professor Jordan Louviere and Rosalie Viney will present a workshop titled Application of Discrete Choice Experiments to Measurement and Valuation of Health Outcome.