Quality of life assessment in osteoarthritis.

Optimal prevention and therapy management depends upon the quality of health assessment in the field of increasingly frequent degenerative health disorders. Quality of life has increased in importance as a result of World Health Organizations' new concept of health and disease. This review addresses strategies and measurement in the quality of life assessment in osteoarthritis over the past 15 years. The authors produce an overview of valid quality of life instruments and their application on patients with hip or knee osteoarthritis, focused on the responsiveness of the tools and on the effect of different interventions. Continuous improvement of therapy and result quality must remain adjusted to the patient and must involve cost carriers in each individual situation to attain the best quality of life under the given socioeconomic conditions.