Scale Overview
The EORTC Quality of Life Questionnaire – QLQ-C30 was developed by Neil K. Aaronson, Marianne Bullinger, Sam H. Ahmedzai (1993). It is designed to measure Health-Related Quality of Life. The scale is intended for use with Cancer patients.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 30 items organized into 15 factors/subscales: Physical Functioning, Role Functioning, Emotional Functioning, Cognitive Functioning, Social Functioning, Global Health Status / QoL, Fatigue, Nausea and Vomiting, Pain, Dyspnea, Sleep Disturbance, Appetite Loss, Constipation, Diarrhea, Financial Difficulties.
| Factor / Subscale |
Items |
N |
| Physical Functioning |
1,2,3,4,5 |
5 |
| Role Functioning |
6,7 |
2 |
| Emotional Functioning |
21,22,23,24 |
4 |
| Cognitive Functioning |
20,25 |
2 |
| Social Functioning |
26,27 |
2 |
| Global Health Status / QoL |
29,30 |
2 |
| Fatigue |
10,12,18 |
3 |
| Nausea and Vomiting |
14,15 |
2 |
| Pain |
9,19 |
2 |
| Dyspnea |
8 |
1 |
| Sleep Disturbance |
11 |
1 |
| Appetite Loss |
13 |
1 |
| Constipation |
16 |
1 |
| Diarrhea |
17 |
1 |
| Financial Difficulties |
28 |
1 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = Not at All, 2 = A Little, 3 = Quite a Bit, 4 = Very Much.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Total scores range from 0 to 100. Interpretation guidelines:
- All scales are linearly transformed to a 0-100 scale. For functional and global scales, higher scores represent better functioning/QoL. For symptom scales, higher scores represent higher symptom severity.: 0 – 100
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of 0.50 – 0.90.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.