COMPLIANCE IN QUALITY-OF-LIFE DATA - A NORWEGIAN EXPERIENCE

Compliance is of extreme importance in assessing quality of life since lost data never can be retrieved. In order to assess this issue in va rious studies, a cross-sectional study in cured cancer patients, three prospective trials and a normative study were explored. In the cross- sectional study 82 per cent of the patients completed the questionnair es after one reminder. More females than males answered the questionna ires. The compliance rate varied from 99 per cent to 62 per cent in th e prospective studies depending upon time after inclusion. It seems th at compliance decreases during follow up, primarily because of disease progression. In one of the prospective studies low compliance rate (a pproximately 30 per cent) was found in the questionnaire assessing rel igious issues. In the normative study 68 per cent of the population co mpleted the questionnaire. No gender differences were found, but young er males and elderly women were poor compliers. In conclusion, our dat a support that most patients complete quality of life questionnaires. It seems that patients with inferior education, reduced physical funct ion and with progressive/terminal disease are low compliers. Introduct ion of the first quality of life questionnaires to the patients is of great importance. Detailed information about the study should be given and the importance of completing the questionnaires should be underli ned. (C) 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.