Book excerpt: Quality of life studies form an essential part of the evaluation of any treatment. Written by two authors who are well respected within this field, Quality of Life: The Assessment, Analysis and Interpretation of Patient-reported Outcomes, Second Edition lays down guidelines on assessing, analysing and interpreting quality of life data. The new edition of this standard book has been completely revised, updated and expanded to reflect many methodological developments emerged since the publication of the first edition. Covers the design of instruments, the practical aspects of implementing assessment, the analyses of the data, and the interpretation of the results Presents all essential information on Quality of Life Research in one comprehensive volume Explains the use of qualitative and quantitative methods, including the application of basic statistical methods Includes copious practical examples Fills a need in a rapidly growing area of interest New edition accommodates significant methodological developments, and includes chapters on computer adaptive testing and item banking, choosing an instrument, systematic reviews and meta analysis This book is of interest for everyone involved in quality of life research, and it is applicable to medical and non-medical, statistical and non-statistical readers. It is of particular relevance for clinical and biomedical researchers within both the pharmaceutical industry and practitioners in the fields of cancer and other chronic diseases. Reviews of the First Edition – Winner of the first prize in the Basis of Medicine Category of the BMA Medical Book Competition 2001: “This book is highly recommended to clinicians who are actively involved in the planning, analysis and publication of QoL research.” CLINICAL ONCOLOGY “This book is highly recommended reading.” QUALITY OF LIFE RESEARCH