“‘Thank you, I’m doing well’ – On Quality of Life and How to Measure It” was the topic of the 5th Heilbronner Dialog on Personalized Medicine.
Prof. Dr. Schramm, Director of the GECKO Institute at Heilbronn University, presented the many facets of quality of life and how it can be measured using various instruments. Since the mid-1990s, quality of life has become increasingly important in research, particularly in the field of health economics. Due to demographic changes and the rise in chronic illnesses, the focus has shifted from curing diseases to improving patients’ quality of life.
The structured survey of patients is a key method for capturing this. Patient Reported Outcomes (PROs) increasingly provide feedback on treatments, their outcomes, and their impact on quality of life. This supports a new understanding of the patient’s role in terms of participation and shared decision-making.
PROs also enable evaluation of treatment outcomes in personalized medicine. This is an area the GECKO Institute and the MOLIT Institute intend to explore more deeply in future joint projects.
During the subsequent discussion round, audience members were invited to ask questions and share their own perspectives.