The World Health
Organization defines quality of life in a broad sense as:
“An individual’s perception of his/her position
in life in the context of the culture and value systems
in which he/she lives, and in relation to his/her goals,
expectations, standards and concerns. It is a broad-ranging
concept, incorporating in a complex way the person’s
physical health, psychological state, level of independence,
social relationships, and their relationship to salient
features of their environment.” (WHOQoL Group, 1998).
Health-related quality of life refers specifically to
the effects of illness or other health conditions on quality
of life, and is a particularly important concept in chronic
health conditions. The QOLIBRI is designed to capture
changes in quality of life in areas commonly affected
by brain injury. The development was guided by an HRQoL
assessment model proposed by von Steinbüchel et al
(2005a). Here HRQoL refers to a person’s perspective
on his or her subjective health condition, functioning
and wellbeing in the domains of physical, psychological
(emotional and cognitive), social and daily life. The
person is viewed as the best expert on his or her QoL.
The measurement of this multi-dimensional concept is usually
accomplished via self-rating, and only in cases of severe
cognitive impairment is an observer rating considered.
