For People Living With HIV, The Question Today Is How’s Your Quality Of Life?
Advancements in treatment and care for HIV have improved exponentially in the last two decades and health outcomes for people living with HIV in Australia are better than ever. For a growing number of people living with HIV, life expectancy in Australia is on par with people in the community who don’t have HIV. That’s why today, people living with HIV are being encouraged to focus on improving their quality of life.
‘Quality of life’ can be tricky to define since it is very subjective and encompasses a variety of different factors. As a broad guide, the World Health Organization (WHO) uses the following description: “[Quality of life is] an individual’s perception of their position in life in the context of the culture and value systems in which they live and in relation to their goals, expectations, standards and concerns.”
Being Part Of A Community
Quality of life, or QoL (we love acronyms!) is influenced by basics/essentials of life such as functional wellbeing, human relationships, personal safety, economic and housing security, and access to healthcare. But true QoL goes beyond that, as the WHO definition shows.
It’s about being part of a community in which you feel comfortable, can express yourself freely, and to which you can contribute. It’s about not only having aspirations but making plans and taking action to achieve those dreams and goals no matter how modest or ambitious. Aiming for better health-related QoL involves having a more holistic approach to life in general, and the net result includes better health overall. So how do you measure QoL? Is there some kind of scale?
Well, as a matter of fact, there is. It’s the PozQoL scale (what did we say about acronyms!) and it was developed in Australia, specifically for people living with HIV through the cooperation of several leading Australian health service providers.
The PozQoL Tool
People with HIV led and were involved in the entire process of developing the PozQoL scale. The PozQoL tool is a brief questionnaire that provides an overall score that can be used to measure and track the quality of life of people with HIV. For example: I am enjoying life – (Not at all/Slightly/Moderately/Very/Extremely) The questions cover four areas of life that are deemed health-related QoL domains:
⁃ The psychological domain, which includes mood, coping, hope for or fear of the future, and self-worth.
⁃ The social domain, which is about personal and social life. It includes feelings of belonging, support, and social stigma.
⁃ The health concerns domain, which is about how someone feels about their own health. It includes health-related worries and energy. It also includes how easy they find it to manage HIV and HIV treatment.
⁃ The functional domain, which is about whether a person feels that they can live what they would call a “normal” life. It includes independence, meaningful occupation, and good standard of living.
How A Person Feels About Their Quality Of Life
Please note, this is NOT a test. It’s just a simple but meaningful set of questions that have been carefully considered to help provide an insight into how a person feels about their QoL.
Because, it’s how a person feels about themself and their life that is the true indicator of QoL.
The PozQoL Scale can help identify any areas for improvement and by discussing these with their health care professional, the person who has used the tool may receive tailored information and be referred to other helpful resources where the issue can be tackled.
People living with HIV experience all the same problems as people without HIV, and then some. Those unique problems may include things like HIV-related stigmatisation, anxiety, or additional health issues. That’s why it can be very beneficial for people living with HIV to consult with their healthcare provider who can help identify and resolve particular issues and discuss ways of working towards improved QoL. Once you decide you want a better QoL you immediately become more positive in your outlook and actively goal-driven. And the benefits keep increasing the more you seek that quality.
So what are you waiting for? See your HIV Health Practitioner to discuss your QoL ASAP! For more information visit: viivhealthcare.com/en-au/hiv-thrive/
Sponsored by ViiV Healthcare
Copyright 2022. ViiV Healthcare Pty Ltd – All Rights Reserved | Registered Office: Level 3, 436 Johnston Street, Abbotsford, VIC 3067. NP-AU-HVU-OGM-220047. Date of preparation: June 2022.
