Conceptualizations of quality of life in cardiovascular research.

The purpose of this article is to examine how quality of life has been conceptualized in studies of patients with cardiovascular disorders. To accomplish this purpose the instruments that were used as measures of quality of life in 22 published studies were examined. The majority of conceptualizations could be grouped into five broad categories: social utility, happiness/affect, satisfaction, achievement of personal goals, and normal life. Most of the studies used more than one category to measure quality of life.