8 Quality of life and markers of asthma control Traditional
measures of disease impact, such as prevalence, mortality and
hospitalisation rates, are important but are of limited use in
understanding the extent of the effect of a disease on an
individual. Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is a term
often used to describe an individual’s perception of how a
disease or condition affects their physical, psychological and
social wellbeing. It is often used to measure the impact of a
disease, such as asthma, on a person’s health and everyday
functioning (ACAM 2004). HRQoL measures can be used to describe
and predict health outcomes, guide and assess clinical
management, and direct clinical policy and the allocation of
health resources. The effect that a health condition has on
physical, psychological and social wellbeing depends upon the
features of the condition and also on individual factors such as
perception of health and the relative importance of each domain,
which is based on their beliefs, experiences