Open AccessQuality of life in chronic pancreatitis
Author(s) -
Raffaele Pezzilli,
Laura Bini,
Lorenzo Fantini,
Elena Baroni,
Davide Campana,
Paola Tomassetti,
Roberto Corinaldesi
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
world journal of gastroenterology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.427
H-Index - 155
eISSN - 2219-2840
pISSN - 1007-9327
DOI - 10.3748/wjg.v12.i39.6249
Subject(s) - medicine , quality of life (healthcare) , pancreatitis , intervention (counseling) , disease , psychological intervention , intensive care medicine , health care , chronic disease , physical therapy , nursing , pathology , surgery , economics , economic growth
In an era such as the present one in which there is a high demand for health services with the associated pressure of controlling spending, health care organizations are concerned about the cost-effectiveness of quality improvement interventions. On the other hand, the impact of the disease and the treatment on the patient's overall well-being and functioning has become a topic of growing interest not only in clinical research but also in practice. The clinical evaluation of the benefits of specific treatments for chronic, debilitating and incurable diseases should increasingly include formal assessment of patient activity and well-being. Thus, health-related quality of life as subjectively perceived by the patient, is becoming a major issue in the evaluation of any therapeutic intervention, mainly in patients with chronic or difficult diseases where the aim of the intervention is to keep patients either symptom-free and capable of living in the community for a long time or to reduce the discomfort caused by the disease. In this paper, we review the current knowledge on the quality of life assessment in chronic pancreatitis patients.