DEVELOPMENT OF A NEW-TYPE OF GLOBAL QUALITY-OF-LIFE SCALE, AND COMPARISON OF PERFORMANCE AND PREFERENCE FOR 12 GLOBAL SCALES

We constructed a new type of global quality of life (QOL) scale derivi ng from the Borg symptom scales and compared four versions of this new type of scale (H scale) with four category rating (CR) scales and fou r visual analogue (VA) scales. Mean self-ratings and mean scenario rat ings on different scales showed small but significant differences, and intercorrelations were higher amongst the H scales than amongst the C R or VA scales. H scales were on average most preferred (by undergradu ates and elderly subjects) followed by CR and lastly VA scales in term s of ease of use and perceived accuracy of representation. We investig ated the preferred polarity of the scales: subjects preferred 'Perfect quality of life' to be indicated by 20 or 100 (with slight preference for the latter) rather than 0. The H scales have eight additional qua ntifiers between the end labels and there was good agreement about the perceived magnitude of these quantifiers.