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Multicenter Study
. 2025 Feb;26(2):308-318.
doi: 10.1111/hiv.13726. Epub 2024 Oct 25.

Should we measure quality of life among people with HIV? A multicentre survey of physicians' opinions in Spain

Rebeca Izquierdo  1   2 , Inés Suárez-García  2   3   4 , Teresa Gómez-García  1   2 , Cristina Marco-Sánchez  1 , Julián Puente-Ferreiro  1 , Cristina Moreno  1   2 , Asunción Diaz  1   2 , Noemí Cabello-Clotet  2   5   6 , David Vinuesa  2   7 , José Luis Blanco  2   8 , Estrella Melús  9 , Cristina Gómez-Ayerbe  10 , Julián Olalla  11 , Melchor Riera  2   12 , José Ignacio Bernardino  2   13 , Juan Carlos de López Bernaldo de Quirós  2   14 , Santiago Moreno  2   15   16 , Inma Jarrín  1   2 ; CoRIS cohort
Collaborators, Affiliations
Multicenter Study

Should we measure quality of life among people with HIV? A multicentre survey of physicians' opinions in Spain

Rebeca Izquierdo et al. HIV Med. 2025 Feb.

Abstract

Objectives: We assessed the opinions of physicians caring for people with HIV (PWH) from the multicentre Spanish CoRIS cohort regarding the assessment of health-related quality of life (HRQoL).

Methods: We designed an online self-administered questionnaire comprising 27 structured questions across four domains: (i) sociodemographic and clinical data; (ii) usefulness of measuring HRQoL; (iii) information, training and resource needed; and (iv) whether and how HRQoL should be measured. Physicians completed the questionnaire between April and June 2023.

Results: Of 131 physicians surveyed [53.8% men, median age 52 years (interquartile range: 42-60)], 90.9% and 88.6% agreed that measuring HRQoL is useful for both PWH and medical decision-making, respectively. However, 67.2% needed training on what HRQoL is and how to measure it, 79.4% required information on validated tools, and 80.9% felt that clinical guidelines are needed. Overall, 90.1% of physicians agreed that HRQoL should be measured among PWH. Most physicians (82.8%) supported using specific scales for PWH, with 74.1% recommending annual measurement, 49.1% suggesting that nurses from HIV units conduct the assessments, and 43.1% favouring personal interviews during medical visits. At the time of the survey, 55.3% of physicians did not measure HRQoL in any patients due to time or resource constraints (75.8%).

Conclusions: Despite the recognized importance of HRQoL measurement in PWH, Spanish physicians encounter barriers such as time constraints and limited resources. Developing clear guidelines, using tailored scales, and integrating digital tools along with multidisciplinary support could enhance routine HRQoL assessments and improve patient-centred care.

Keywords: HIV; Spain; health professional attitudes; patient‐reported outcome measures; physicians; quality of life (HRQoL).

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Conflict of interest statement

NC‐C has received support for attending meetings and congresses and honoraria as a speaker for Gilead, ViiV Healtcare, Janssen and MSD. The remaining authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Physicians' opinion about the usefulness of measuring health‐related quality of life (HRQoL).
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Physicians' opinion about the need for information, training and resources to measure health‐related quality of life (HRQoL).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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