The Quality of Life In Depression Scale (QLDS) is a disease specific patient-reported outcome which assesses the impact that depression has on a patient’s quality of life.
Contents
It is a 34 item self rated questionnaire which consists of dichotomous response questions, with the response being either True/Not True or Yes/No. It is scored binomially (0-1) and high scores on the QLDS indicated a lower quality of life.
Development
The QLDS was developed by Galen Research in 1992 and was funded by Lilly Industries. It was developed in the United Kingdom.
The items in the QLDS were derived from statements made in qualitative interviews by 30 depressed or recently recovered patients. Further interviews were held with patients in order to assess whether the proposed scale had face and content validity.
International use
Since its development, the QLDS has been adapted and validated in 12 languages other than UK English, including Norwegian and Spanish. This has allowed the QLDS to be used in research and clinical studies worldwide.
Studies utilizing the QLDS include investigations into venlafaxine, duloxetine and bupropion.