Shoulder conditions and health related quality of life and utility: a current concepts review

Study of the outcome of treatment of shoulder conditions has emphasized subjective evaluation of outcomes including a variety of disease, region, and joint specific tools. In response to the rapidly rising cost of healthcare further interest has been directed to cost effectiveness and value. Comparison of the outcomes of different shoulder conditions to each other, to other musculoskeletal, and non-orthopedic conditions requires more generalized outcome tools especially when considering cost effectiveness and utility analysis. The concept of quality of life (QoL) was developed to satisfy this goal and there are a variety of general health and quality of life assessments tools available. The purpose of this manuscript is to review the concept of health related quality of life (HRQoL) and discuss HRQoL measures as they relate to shoulder conditions.