Clinical Psychology Department, Complutense University, Madrid, Spain.
Int Psychogeriatr. 2013 Oct;25(10):1687-95. doi: 10.1017/S1041610213000823. Epub 2013 Jun 10.
The Quality of Life-Alzheimer's Disease Scale (QOL-AD) is a reliable and valid self-report measure for assessing quality of life (QoL) in people with dementia in long-term care settings, but little is known yet about the number of patients with severe cognitive impairment who are able to complete this measure, and the characteristics of those unable to do so. The aim of the study is to advance knowledge of these issues.
Data on residents with dementia were collected from 11 nursing homes. The QOL-AD residential version was directly applied to residents with dementia diagnosis and Mini-Mental State Examination scores under 27, randomly selected in each center. Residents' QoL was further assessed from the perspective of some close relative and some staff member. Altogether, 102 data sets from residents, 184 from relatives, and 197 from staff members were collected. An analysis of the characteristics of completers versus non-completers regarding levels of cognitive impairment was carried out.
People with dementia in long-term care are able to report their QoL. The QOL-AD completion rate decreases as the cognitive impairment level increases; non-completion is associated with greater overall impairment. About 30% of residents with severe cognitive impairment could self-report on their QoL with acceptable reliability.
QoL self-rating should be the first-line option when assessing residents with severe cognitive impairment. For those that are not able to complete self-report measures, proxies' report could be an alternative, although the development of other assessment procedures (e.g. observational) should be considered.
《生活质量-阿尔茨海默病量表》（QOL-AD）是一种可靠且有效的自评工具，可用于评估长期护理环境中痴呆患者的生活质量（QoL），但对于认知障碍严重到无法完成该量表的患者数量以及无法完成该量表的患者特征，目前了解甚少。本研究旨在深入了解这些问题。
从 11 家养老院收集了痴呆症患者的数据。QOL-AD 住宅版直接应用于每个中心随机选择的具有痴呆症诊断和 Mini-Mental State Examination 评分低于 27 的患者。从一些近亲以及一些工作人员的角度进一步评估了患者的 QoL。共收集了 102 名患者、184 名亲属和 197 名工作人员的数据。对认知障碍程度方面的完成者与未完成者的特征进行了分析。
长期护理中的痴呆症患者能够报告他们的 QoL。随着认知障碍程度的增加，QOL-AD 的完成率下降；未完成与整体障碍程度增加相关。约 30%的认知障碍严重的患者能够以可接受的可靠性自我报告其 QoL。
在评估认知障碍严重的患者时，QoL 自评应作为首选。对于那些无法完成自我报告的患者，代理人的报告可以作为替代，但应考虑开发其他评估程序（例如观察法）。
