The Health-Related Quality of Life Concept

The health concept selected for this essay is the Health-Related Quality of Life. This approach relates to the perceived physical and mental health of a person or a community over time is referred. Generally, people tend to value their quality of life, but the definition of health nowadays is broader than before, which means that one has to ensure that they are well not only physically but also in other domains. Health in the United States has generally been assessed narrowly and from a deficit perspective, commonly using morbidity or mortality indicators as the main factor allowing to define lack of health (CDC, 2021). However, a more progressive approach is viewing health as a multifaceted construct that comprises physical, mental, and social dimensions.

The advances in medicine and public health have led to improved treatments for existing diseases and a slowdown in mortality, which allow to evaluate the health of the population in a different way. Nowadays, medicine is assessed not only from the point of view of saving lives, but also in terms of improving life quality. The term “quality of life” can be construed differently, since it embraces subjective evaluation of many factors that have an impact on a person’s well-being. Moreover, health is not the only indicator of the quality of life; other factors, such as education or working conditions, add to this notion.

My average score in this assessment is 16 out of 28, which can be interpreted as a good position in this area. However, it is essential to take a look at the subjects where I scored not that well, since “even a small change in behavior can help you improve your health and well-being” (“Princeton Umatter Health Self-Assessment”, n.d.). This score means that there are several areas of improvement that I can consider in my approach to health and well-being. This scoring system works in such a way that the results are divided into three

This score means that there are several areas of improvement I can address in my approach to health and well-being. This scoring system works in a way that separates the results into three categories, each reflecting a certain level of accountability for one’s health. Moreover, the scoring system allows one to distinguish between the different dimensions of health as, for example, in emotional wellness, I scored 19, while in environmental wellness, my score was 15. This means that I should pay more attention to the aspects of environmental wellness if I want to ensure that I maintain my well-being in all dimensions.

This score implies that overall, I have done a good job maintaining my health and quality of life. Moreover, my studies as an RT professional are what affected my view of health and quality of life the most. However, my mean score is not outstanding, which presupposes that I can improve in all areas, for example, work on emotional stability and expression of negative emotions. Moreover, for environmental wellness, I need to practice behaviors that are environmentally friendly and work on raising awareness about my environmental impact. The changes needed for this improvement are linked to my actions, as I would have to do additional research to improve my knowledge in this area.

I think that these types of assessments can be used by general practitioners when they perform an overall evaluation of their patient’s health to see the overall state of their life quality. Additionally, using this type of assessment when working with children would be beneficial because the assessor would know what information and skills should be taught to this population to help them maintain wellness. As a recreational therapist, I would use the Health-Related Quality of Life to address the well-being of my patients, for example, by using physical activities.

References

CDC. (2021). Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQOL). Web.

Princeton UMatter wellness self-assessment. (n.d.). Web.