An Assessment and Outcome Measure for Palliative Care

Quality of life (QOL) in the context of advanced, progressive, incurable illness, is defined as the subjective experience of an individual living with the interpersonal, psychological and existential or spiritual challenges that accompany the process of physical and functional decline and the knowledge of impending demise. A person’s QOL can range from suffering, associated with physical distress and/or a sense of impending disintegration, to the experience of wellness and personal growth arising from the completion of developmental work and the mastery of developmental landmarks. Byock and Merriman, Pall. Med., 12:231-244, 1998 Ira Byock, MD, FAAHPM
Founder and Senior Vice President for Strategic Innovation, The Institute for Human Caring, Providence St Joseph Health
Ira.Byock@gmail.com

Melanie Merriman, PhD, MBA
Touchstone Consulting
touchst@ix.netcom.com

Registration

There are no fees for using the Missoula-VITAS Quality of Life Index but we do ask that you register by providing your organization name and a contact person. Registration assures that you receive notice of any updates to the Missoula-VITAS Quality of Life Index. Registered users will also receive information on MVQOLI benchmarking efforts and the option to share and compare quality of life data anonymously with other users.

To register,  submit this Registration Form

Guide to Using the MVQOLI

Download Guide to Using the MVQOLI

This guide is designed to assist you in implementing the Missoula-VITAS Quality of Life Index. It will be most useful for implementation on a small scale or in a pilot study. The materials are excerpted and adapted from training materials originally created by VITAS Healthcare Corporation and The Hospice Institute of the Florida Suncoast.

Appendices for use with the Guide

Appendix 1: MVQOLI - 15 item version with scoring information PDF format   |   MS Word Format  |  MVQOLI 15-revised 2-04 - SCORING
Appendix 2: MVQOLI - 25 item version with scoring information PDF format   |   MS Word format   |   MVQOLI 25 - revised 2-04 - SCORING
Appendix 3: Spanish MVQOLI - 15 item version  PDF format   |   MS Word format
Appendix 4: Spanish MVQOLI - 25 item version  PDF format   |   MS Word format
Appendix 5: EXCEL scoring program for MVQOLI - 15 item version  Excel format
Appendix 6: EXCEL scoring program for MVQOLI - 25 item version  Excel format
Appendix 7: MVQOLI EXCEL (automated) Scoring Instructions PDF format
Appendix 8: MVQOLI Manual (not automated) Scoring Instructions PDF format
Appendix 9: MVQOLI Date Due Excel File <href=" wp-content="" uploads="" 2015="" 04="" appendix-9-mvqoli-date-due-excel-file.xls"="">Excel format</href=">
Appendix 10: Instructions for the Date Due Excel File PDF format

Versions of the Tool

English English MVQOLI - 15 item version PDF format   |   MS Word Format
English MVQOLI - 25 item version PDF format   |   MS Word format 
Spanish MVQOLI - 15 item version PDF Format   |   MS Word format 
Spanish MVQOLI - 25 item version PDF format   |   MS Word format 
Greek MVQOLI - 15 item version PDF format   |   MS Word format 
Greek MVQOLI - 25 item version PDF format   |   MS Word format 
Thai MVQOLI - 25 item version PDF format

We are grateful to the many investigators who have created versions of the MVQOLI in additional languages.
Please note we have not been involved in these translations.

References

Schwartz CE, Merriman MP., Reed G, Byock I: Evaluation of the Missoula-VITAS Quality of Life Index--Revised: Research Tool or Clinical Tool? J Palliat Med 2005 Feb; 8(1):121-135
Byock IR, Merriman MP: Measuring Quality of Life for Patients with Terminal Illness: the Missoula-VITAS Quality of Life Index. Palliat Med 1998 Jul; 12(4):231-244