The Schedule for the Evaluation of Individual Quality of Life (SEIQoL): a Direct Weighting procedure for Quality of Life Domains (SEIQoL-DW). Administration Manual.

The Schedule for the Evaluation of Individual Quality of Life (SEIQoL) is an interviewbased instrument for the assessment of quality of life (QoL) of the individual. The interview procedure associated with the full version of the SEIQoL (McGee et al, 1991; O’Boyle et al, 1992) requires considerable time to complete (10-20 minutes) and thus may be primarily suitable for research settings or clinical situations where the instrument is being used as part of the process of having the individual consider a range of options or outcomes in evaluating QoL. The SEIQoL has been used with a variety of patient groups, but its applicability may be limited in illnesses which impair cognitive functioning or motivational state. Successful completion of the SEIQoL requires, inter alia, insight into the factors which determine one’s quality of life, the ability to think abstractly and the ability to make judgments based on information presented in diagrammatic form. Therefore, its use with patients in whom these abilities are impaired may be problematic (Coen et al, 1993). A direct weighting procedure for QoL domains that is more suitable for routine clinical use than Judgment Analysis (JA) and that may impose fewer demands on individuals with reduced cognitive function, has been developed for the SEIQoL. Psychometric information on the procedure has been obtained from a healthy adult population (Browne et al, in preparation).