Measuring quality of life in dementia: purposes, goals, challenges and progress

Abstract

The choice of outcomes in clinical research should be influenced by a linkage between the targeted symptom or disorder and the outcome being measured, the clinical meaningfulness of the outcome, and the ability to measure the outcome accurately. Dementia, defined as a syndrome consisting of disorders that impair two or more distinct cognitive capacities, occur in clear consciousness, and begin in adulthood, presents unique challenges in the choice of appropriate outcomes for treatment trials.