Defining and Assessing Quality of Life

Abstract

This article is a literature review, undertaken to have a fuller understanding of what is meant by the term ‘quality of life’ and how it is measured or assessed. The literature review shows that the term Is not clearly defined. It is suggested that occupational therapists each have their own definition and may use the term too narrowly: a satisfactory quality of life means something different to all of us, whether we be occupational therapist or client. This suggests that discussion with a client about his/her Individual quality of life and what this means to him/her is probably more realistic than trying to measure aspects of it.