Quality of Life (QoL) in severely disabled multiple sclerosis patients: comparison of three QoL measures using multidimensional scaling.

This study reports a comparison of three quality of life (QoL) measures completed by patients with advanced multiple sclerosis. Multidimensional scaling analysis explored the structure of relationships amongst a general health measure (the Short Form 36--SF 36) and two person-centred measures (the Patient Generated Index--PGI; and the Schedule for the Evaluation of Individual Quality of Life-Direct Weighting version--SEIQoL-DW). Results showed distinct differences both between the two person-centred measures, and when compared against the general health measure, reflecting the different conceptual bases of these measures. The findings suggest that PGI scores closely relate to measures of physical functioning, whereas SEIQoL-DW scores relate more closely to feelings of health and vitality. The implications of these results for selection and development of appropriate QoL scales for the target population are discussed.