Questionnaire-Description

The McGill Quality of Life Questionnaire (MQOL-16) is a short version of the original McGill questionnaire, developed to assess the quality of life in individuals facing serious illnesses, such as cancer or other terminal conditions. It focuses on the individual’s subjective experience and covers various dimensions of quality of life, including physical, psychological, spiritual, and social aspects.
The MQOL-16 consists of 16 questions evaluating the following:
Physical well-being: The patient’s physical condition and the level of pain or discomfort.
Psychological well-being: Emotional health, levels of anxiety, and depression.
Spiritual well-being: Sense of meaning in life, acceptance of illness, and personal beliefs.
Social support: The quality of relationships with others and the social support received by the individual.

Data Analysis and Usage

Data collected from the MQOL-16 is quantitative and gathered via a Likert scale questionnaire. Responses are analyzed to reveal the level of quality of life experienced by patients at different stages of illness.
Data analysis techniques include:
Correlation analysis to examine relationships between various dimensions of quality of life and other psychological or clinical variables.
Factor analysis to explore the questionnaire’s structure and identify the main dimensions of quality of life being assessed.
Reliability analysis, such as calculating Cronbach’s alpha, to test the internal consistency of the questions.
Data from the MQOL-16 can be used for:
Monitoring patients’ quality of life during treatment or care.
Evaluating the effectiveness of interventions aimed at improving quality of life.
Assessing patients’ needs for better care and support.

Purpose

The goal of the McGill Quality of Life Questionnaire (MQOL-16) is to provide a reliable and valid method of assessing quality of life in individuals with serious illnesses, taking into account the physical, emotional, spiritual, and social dimensions of their experience. Specifically, the MQOL-16 aims to:
Identify areas of life that need improvement or support.
Evaluate the psychological and emotional state of patients.
Document the quality of social relationships and the sense of support patients receive.
The questionnaire is particularly useful in palliative care and in healthcare settings where quality of life is a primary focus.

Calibration

The calibration of the MQOL-16 is performed using traditional psychometric methods:
Reliability analysis to assess the consistency and stability of responses to the questions.
Confirmatory factor analysis to ensure that the structure of the quality of life dimensions aligns with reality.
Validity testing to assess the questionnaire’s ability to effectively measure quality of life in patients with varying degrees of illness.

Bibliography

Cohen, S. R., Mount, B. M., Strobel, M. G., & Bui, F. (1995). The McGill Quality of Life Questionnaire: A measure of quality of life appropriate for people with advanced disease. Palliative Medicine, 9(3), 207-219.
Cohen, S. R., & Mount, B. M. (2000). Living with cancer: “Good” days and “bad” days—What produces them? Can the McGill Quality of Life Questionnaire distinguish between them? Cancer, 89(8), 1854-1865.
Bruera, E., Kuehn, N., Miller, M. J., Selmser, P., & Macmillan, K. (1991). The Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS): A simple method for the assessment of palliative care patients. Journal of Palliative Care, 7(2), 6-9.