For clinicians treating chronic conditions such as end-stage renal disease (ESRD), the quality of patients' lives is an important consideration. This Viewpoint highlights the ways in which health-related quality of life can be measured in ESRD (e.g. with generic instruments that facilitate comparisons with the general population and between countries), and the difficulties of such measurement. The authors offer their suggestions of how best to obtain and use this information to improve the care and outcomes of patients with ESRD.
- Shunichi Fukuhara
- Shin Yamazaki
- Joseph Green