What is PozQoL?
Health-related quality of life is an increasingly important aspect of person-centred care (an approach to health that focuses on the person as a whole) for people living with HIV.[1,2] It encompasses how people with HIV are feeling in a number of areas, including physical, social, functional, and psychological factors.[1–4]
Australian community and healthcare services previously expressed a need for a validated tool to reliably measure health-related quality of life among people living with HIV, to determine the impact of interventions and inform healthcare decisions.[5] The PozQol Scale was designed as a short, easy-to-use scale to help address this need.[5]
The PozQoL Scale is a validated tool for measuring health-related quality of life among people living with HIV. It was designed and developed in Australia. People living with HIV led and were involved in the entire process of developing the PozQoL scale.[5–8]
Psychological:
Including mood, coping, hope and fear of the future, and self-worth
Social:
Including personal and social life, belonging, support, and social stigma
Health concerns:
Including perception of one’s health, health-related concerns, energy, and HIV management
Functional:
Including the ability to live a “normal” life, independence, meaningful occupation, and satisfactory standard of living
After your first experience with the PozQoL Scale, and after discussing your results with your doctor or peer navigator, they may provide you with the Next Steps card. This card contains links to community organisations and information about what your PozQoL score means.
If you have any questions about the Next Steps card, or the kinds of supports that could help improve your wellbeing, please talk with your doctor or peer navigator.
Talk to your healthcare team about when you should next use the PozQoL Digital Tool. They may recommend you complete it once every 3–6 months.
View the Next Steps card here
“Well, I think in a routine care appointment...we can’t forget that people have spiritual lives, emotional lives... and they are important in someone’s quality of life...”
BRENT ALLAN
HIV Advocate
The PozQoL Scale was developed by the Australian Research Centre in Sex Health and Society (ARCSHS) in partnership with National Association of People with HIV Australia (NAPWHA), Living Positive Victoria, Positive Life NSW, Queensland Positive People (QPP), and ViiV Healthcare. The Project was built on the principles of Greater Involvement of People Living with HIV (GIPA).[5–8]
References:
- Lazarus JV et al. Nat Commun. 2021; 12(1): 4450.
- Lazarus JV et al. BMC Med. 2016; 14(1): 94.
- ViiV Healthcare. Positive Perspectives Study, Wave 2 Results Report. June 2021. Available at: https://viivhealthcare.com/content/dam/cf-viiv/viiv-healthcare/en_GB/files/030821-updated-pp2-report-approved.pdf Accessed April 2024.
- Okoli C et al. Prev Chronic Dis. 2020; 17: E22.
- Brown G et al. BMC Public Health. 2018; 18(1): 527.
- PozQoL. About PozQoL. Available at https://www.pozqol.org/about-pozqol/ Accessed April 2024.
- PozQoL. Developing PozQoL. Available at https://www.pozqol.org/about-pozqol/developing-validated-quality-life-scale-people-with-hiv/ Accessed April 2024.
- PozQoL. PozQoL: Valuing quality of life among people with HIV. Available at https://www.pozqol.org/ Accessed April 2024.
NP-AU-HVU-WCNT-240001 | Date of preparation: April 2024.
