ABSTRACT
In the short period of twenty years or so that health status measures have been available, a very wide range of applications have been suggested. It is increasingly clear that the very different contexts in which they may be used may require very different measurement properties and practical features for an instrument to operate effectively. This chapter examines four quite distinct applications. At one extreme it is suggested that health status instruments have a very practical role in helping health professionals to gain a full picture of their patients, or health authorities to identify patterns of need in local populations. At the other extreme are the various research uses of health status measures as indicators of outcome in clinical trials or cost-utility studies.
