Assessing health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in survivors of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest : A systematic review of patient-reported outcome measures

Aim High quality evidence of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) survivors’ health-related quality of life (HRQoL) can measure the long-term impact of CA. The aim of this study was to critically appraise the evidence of psychometric quality and acceptability of measures used in the assessment of HRQoL in cardiac arrest survivors. Methods Systematic literature searches (2004–2017) and named author searches to identify articles pertaining to the measurement of HRQoL. Data on study quality, measurement and practical properties were extracted and assessed against international standards. Results From 356 reviewed abstracts, 69 articles were assessed in full. 25 provided evidence for 10 measures of HRQoL: one condition-specific; three generic profile measures; two generic index; and four utility measures. Although limited, evidence for measurement validity was strongest for the HUI3 and SF-36. However, evidence for reliability, content validity, responsiveness and interpretability and acceptability was generally limited or not available in the CA population for all measures. Conclusions This review has demonstrated that a measure of quality of life specific to OHCA survivors is not available. Limited evidence of validity exists for one utility measure − the HUI3 − and a generic profile − the SF-36. Robust evidence of the quality and acceptability of HRQoL measures in OHCA was limited or not available. Future collaborative research must seek to urgently establish the relevance and acceptability of these measures to OHCA survivors, to establish robust evidence of essential measurement and practical properties over the short and long-term, and to inform future HRQoL assessment in the OHCA population