1The Schedule for the Evaluation ofIndividual Quality of Life (SEIQoL):a Direct Weighting procedure for Qualityof Life Domains (SEIQoL-DW)

Administration Manual

Department of Psychology
Medical School
Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
Mercer Building
Mercer St
Dublin 2
Ireland

Ciarán A O'Boyle1 , John Browne1, Anne Hickey1 , Hannah M
McGee1, C R B Joyce21.
2.

Department of Psychology, Medical School, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland.
University Psychiatric Policlinic, University of Bern, Switzerland.

© Department of Psychology, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, 1993

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CONTENTS
1.0 Introduction

3

2.0 SEIQoL-DW Adminsitration

3

2.1 Administration Procedure4

2.2 Potenital Problems in Administration

6

3.0 Scoring the SEIQoL

7

3.1

Recording Scores7

3.2

Deriving SEIQoL Outcome Data7

3.3

Presenting Data8

3.4 Using SEIQoL-DW in Prospective Study Designs

4.0 References

8

9

Acknowledgements:
The development of the SEIQoL was made possible through thefinancial support of CIBA Geigy Ltd, Basle, Switzerland and the Royal
College of Surgeons in Ireland. Specific studies were also funded by the
Irish Health Research Board, The Arthritis Foundation of Ireland, theBritish Geriatric Society and the HIV Primary Care Research Project.

© Department of Psychology, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, 1993

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SCHEDULE FOR THE EVALUATION OF QUALITY OF LIFE
(SEIQoL):A Direct Weighting Procedure for Quality of Life Domains
C A O’Boyle, J Browne, A Hickey, H M McGee, C R B Joyce.
Department of Psychology, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Mercer Building, Mercer
Street Lower, Dublin 2, Ireland.

1.0

Introduction

The Schedule for the Evaluation of Individual Quality of Life (SEIQoL) is an interviewbased instrument for the assessment of quality of life (QoL) of the individual. The interview
procedure associated with the full version of the SEIQoL (McGee et al, 1991; O’Boyle et al,1992) requires considerable time to complete (10-20 minutes) and thus may be primarily
suitable for research settings or clinical situations where the instrument is being used as partof the process of having the individual consider a range of options or outcomes in evaluating
QoL. The SEIQoL has been used with a variety of patient groups, but its applicability may
be limited in illnesses which impair cognitive functioning or motivational state. Successful
completion of the SEIQoL requires, inter alia, insight into the factors which determine one’s
quality of life, the ability to think abstractly and the ability to make judgments based on
information presented in diagrammatic form. Therefore, its use with patients in whom theseabilities are impaired may be problematic (Coen et al, 1993).
A direct weighting procedure for QoL domains that is more suitable for routine clinical use
than Judgment Analysis (JA) and that may impose fewer demands on individuals with
reduced cognitive function, has been developed for the SEIQoL. Psychometric informationon the procedure has been obtained from a healthy adult population (Browne et al, in
preparation).
The procedure for administering the method is as follows:

Administration of SEIQoL using the Direct Weighting (DW) Procedure
2.0

Administration
The SEIQoL and SEIQoL-DW is administered in the form of a semi-structured
interview. The interviewer first elicits the five areas of life considered most importantby the individual in determining his/her QoL. The level of satisfaction/functioning ineach area is next recorded followed by the SEIQoL-DW task which allows theinterviewer to determine the relative importance of each QoL area using the disk
provided.
A SEIQoL interview form, SEIQoL-DW disk, pen and non-permanent marker pen
are required for the interview.

© Department of Psychology, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, 1993

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2.1

Administration Procedure
Step 1: Introduction
Read the following to the respondent:“For each of us, happiness and satisfaction in life depends on those parts or
areas of life which are important to us. When these important areas arepresent or are going well, we are generally happy but when they are absent orgoing badly we feel worried or unhappy. In other words, these important
areas of life determine the quality of our lives. What is considered importantvaries from person to person. That which is most important to you may not
be so important to me or to your husband/wife/children/parents/friends(mention one or two of these groups as appropriate) … and vice versa”.
“I am interested in knowing what the most important areas of your life are at
the moment. Most of us don’t usually spend a lot of time thinking about
these things. Indeed, we often only notice that certain things are importantwhen something happens to change them. Sometimes it is easier to identify
what is important by thinking about the areas of life that would (or do)cause us most concern when they are missing or going badly”.
Step 2: Eliciting the Five Most Important Aspects of Life (Cues)
Ask the respondent:“What are the five most important areas of your life at present – the things
which make your life a relatively happy or sad one at the moment …. thethings that you feel determine the quality of your life?”.
If the respondent does not understand what is required the question may be rephrased in the following ways:“What parts of your life are most important? …/ What things are mostimportant? …/ ‘The most important things in my life are …’.”•

Elicit areas NOT individuals, eg. marriage, not wife. Do not give examples.

•

The meaning of each cue for the respondent must be documented at this stage
on the Cue Definitions Record Form. Establish what the respondent means byeach quality of life area named as being important. For example, if an
individual were to name ‘golf’ as a cue, this may relate primarily to leisureactivity, but equally it may represent social activity, or physical mobility.
Similarly, if ‘religion’ were named as a cue it might relate to the respondent’s
spiritual life, but might equally relate to being physically able to get to church,or to the social dimension of meeting one’s friends at church. This isparticularly important for subsequent review of data, and of obvious relevancewhen respondents must be re-assessed at some future date in order to ensurethat the same cues are being considered.

•Having defined what the respondent means by the cue, it is important that thecue, as labeled by the individual, be used by the interviewer and not theinterviewer’s interpretation of what the respondent is saying.

© Department of Psychology, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, 1993

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Should the respondent volunteer cues which resemble ‘quality of life’ inmeaning (eg satisfaction, life quality), the interviewer should probe for more
specific cues. Cues such as ‘happiness’, ‘attitude to life’, ‘morale’ areacceptable.

•

If it is absolutely necessary to make some suggestions, then read the following
list, excluding any cues already mentioned – family, relationships, health,finances, living conditions, work, social life, leisure activities,
religion/spiritual life. This list is derived from our findings with a range of
populations and represents the cues most commonly elicited, in descendingorder of frequency. It provides for consistency across the interviewers wheresuch prompting is absolutely necessary.

Step 3: Determining Levels
Say to respondent:“Now that you have named the five most important areas in your life, I am
going to ask you to rate how each of these areas are for you at the moment.
First I will show you an example of how the rating is done”.
Place the Sample Cue Levels Record Form between you and the respondent so thatthe respondent can clearly see how you carry out the rating.
“First look at this box (indicate). As you can see, there are spaces at thebottom in which I can write the five important areas of my life (indicate), andthere is a scale along the left hand side (indicate). The scale ranges from‘worst possible’ on the bottom to ‘best possible’ on the top, and passes
through levels such as ‘very bad’ – ‘bad’ – ‘neither good nor bad’ – ‘good’ –and ‘very good’ between the two extremes.
The first important area of my life is X (use a cue not already nominated by the
respondent and write it in the first space at the bottom of the rating box) and if thisis going very well at the moment, I can show this by drawing a bar like this(draw a bar approx. 80mm high). I am using the scale (indicate) to decide howhigh my bar should be. The nearer I draw the bar to the bottom line, thepoorer my rating of that area of my life and the nearer I draw it to the top
line, the better my rating of that area of my life. A mark in the middle range
would indicate that I am rating life as neither good nor bad, but somewhere
in between”.
Now proceed with the ratings for the remaining cues:
Second cue – “if X2 (use a cue not already nominated by the respondent and write itin the second space) is going well as is possible, I would rate it by drawing abar like this …” (draw a bar 100mm high).
Third cue – “if X3 (use a cue not already nominated by the respondent and write it in
the third space) is going very badly, I would rate it like this …” (draw a bar
approx. 15mm high).
Fourth cue – “if X4 (use a cue not already nominated by the respondent and write itin the fourth space) is just all right, or ‘fifty/fifty’, I would rate it like this …”(draw a bar approximately 50mm high).

© Department of Psychology, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, 1993

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Fifth cue – X5 (use a cue not already nominated by the respondent and write it in thefifth space) – (draw a random rating).
“This provides a picture of life as I might think of it at the moment”.
Step 4: Elicit Rating of Present Life
Place the Cue Levels Record Form between you and the respondent. Write therespondent’s five cues in the appropriate spaces under the box. Give the respondenta pen or pencil.
Say to the respondent:“Now I want you to rate the five most important areas of your life, as you see
presented here (indicate). Firstly, draw a bar which represents how you
would rate yourself on each of these areas at the moment. As in the example
I’ve just shown you, the nearer you draw the bar to the bottom line, thepoorer you are rating that area of your life and the nearer you draw it to the
top line, the better your rating of that area of your life”.
Have respondent draw bars.
Step 5: Direct Weighting Procedure
Say to respondent:“I would like you to show me how important the five areas of life you havenominated area in relation to each other, by using this disk (indicate SEIQoLDW). People often value some areas in life as more important than others.
This disk allows you to show me how important each area in your life is bygiving the more important areas a larger area of the disk, and the lessimportant areas a smaller area of the disk. In my life, for example, X (namecue not already chosen by respondent) is about this important (manipulate disk sothat X represents 30% of space available). X2 however is less important than X,
so it has only this much of the pie (manipulate disk so that X2 represents 20% of
the space available). X3 on the other hand is more important than X, so it has
this much of the pie (manipulate DWP so that X3 represents 40% of space
available). Finally, X4 and X5 are the least important areas of life for me, andI value them about the same (manipulate disk so that X4 and X5 represent 5% eachof space available). Now thinking about the five areas of life you havementioned (write the name of each cue along the cut edge of one of the 5 coloured
disks with a non-permanent marker [disks may also be marked with stick-on ‘postit’ labels indicating the cues if preferred]). I would like you to show me how
important these areas are in relation to each other by moving the disks
around until their relative size represents your view of their importance”.

2.2

Potential Problems in Administration
The following are the problems most commonly encountered in SEIQoL
administration.

© Department of Psychology, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, 1993

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Nominating Important Life Areas:
The respondent cannot think of 5 cues.
Suggested Solution: use prompt list provided.

•

Determining Cue Levels:
The respondent conceives the task as drawing bars in terms of their importancerather than in terms of how these areas are for them at the moment.
Suggested Solution: Remind the respondent that the task is to “rate how eachof these areas are for you at the moment”.

•

Determining Cue Weighting:
The respondent conceives the task as dividing up the pie diagram in terms ofcurrent functioning in that area.
Suggested Solution: Remind the respondent that the task is to indicate how
important each of the 5 areas are at present relative to each other.

3.0

Scoring the SEIQoL

3.1

Recording Scores
Record on the Interview Record Form:
•
•
•
•
•

3.2

The length of time the respondent took to complete the task
The interviewer’s rating of the respondent’s understanding of the method
Whether the interviewer felt that the respondent become fatigued/bored during
the task
The interviewer’s overall rating of the validity of the information obtained
Scores of the weights assigned to SEIQoL-DW for each cue

Deriving SEIQoL Outcome Data
(i)
(ii)
(iii)
(iv)

Cue labels and their definitions
Cue levels
Cue weights
The SEIQoL Index(i)

Cue Labels and their Definitions

During Step 2 (eliciting the five most important aspects of life), the meaning of eachcue for the respondent is summarized on the Cue Definitions Record Form, together
with the label that the respondent used for each cue. For example, different
respondents may use “religion” as a cue label, but it can have various meanings: aspiritual activity; a social activity (meeting friends at services) or a physical activity
reflecting mobility (being able to walk to services). The definition is important for
subsequent understanding of what was meant by the cue label. It is also important insummarising cues from a number of respondents for grouped data presentation.
© Department of Psychology, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, 1993

8(ii) Cue Levels
The cue levels are elicited during Step 3 when the respondent draws five bars on the
Cue Levels Record Form. Levels are scored by measuring the vertical height of eachbar in millimetres. This yields five scores which are independent continuous
measurements, ranging from 0 to 100. They can be analysed using parametricstatistical methods.
(iii) Cue Weights
To calculate weights from SEIQoL-DW, align edge of green disk tab with the ‘0’(zero) gradation and note the weight (0-100) given to each of the 5 life areas byreading the amount of disk space assigned against the gradation on the outer edge ofthe disk. Divide each weight by 100 since the weights when calculating the SEIQoL
Index range from 0.00-1.00 in order that the overall Index (levels X weights) sumfrom 0-100.
(iv) The SEIQoL Index
The SEIQoL is intended primarily as an individual measure. Where groupcomparisons are required, a global index can be calculated which may be used inwithin-subject or between-subject study designs. As the index is a continuous
measure ranging from 0 to 100 it can be analysed using parametric statisticalmethods. Having obtained levels and weights for each of the five cues, as described
previously, the SEIQoL Index is calculated as follows:•

For each cue multiply the level by the weight, then sum these products acrossthe five cues: SEIQoL Index = ∑ (levels x weights)

Care should always be taken in interpreting the index, as it is the sum of the products
of individual cue levels by cue weights, each of which may vary independently. The
index should be interpreted in the context of the pattern of levels and weights
generated for each respondent.

3.3

Presenting Data
The data from each individual respondent can be presented in tabular form giving theelicited cues, the levels and the weights. For grouping data SEIQoL Index scores
may be presented (cf. McGee et al., 1991, O’Boyle et al., 1992).

3.3

Using SEIQoL-DW in Prospective Study Designs
In prospective study designs, or in situations where SEIQoL-DW is employed overtime to evaluate an intervention, recommended practice is that new cues are elicited ateach assessment. Cue nominated at the initial assessment should then be provided tothe individual and the SEIQoL-DW procedure gone through again, in order tofacilitate direct comparison between initial and subsequent assessments.

© Department of Psychology, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, 1993

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References
O’Boyle C A, McGee H M, Hickey A, Joyce C R B, Browne J, O’Malley
K, Hiltbrunner B. The Schedule for the Evaluation of Individual Qualityof Life (SEIQoL): Administration Manual. Dublin: Royal College ofSurgeons in Ireland, (1993).
McGee H M, O’Boyle C A, Hickey A, O’Malley K and Joyce C R B.
Assessing the quality of life of the individual: the SEIQoL with a healthy anda gastroenterology unit population. Psychological Medicine 1991;21:749-59.
O’Boyle C A, McGee H M, Hickey A, O’Malley K and Joyce C R B.
Individual quality of life in patients undergoing hip replacement. Lancet
1992;339:1088-91
O’Boyle C A. Assessment of Quality of Life in Surgery. British Journal ofSurgery 1992;79:395-398
Coen R F, O’Mahony D, O’Boyle C A, Joyce C R B, Hiltbrunner B, Walsh J
B and Coakley D. Measuring the quality of life of dementia patients using the
Schedule for the Evaluation of Individual Quality of Life. Irish Journal of
Psychology, (Special Issue on the Elderly) 1993;14:154-63
O’Boyle C A. The Schedule for the Evaluation of Individual Quality of Life(SEIQoL). International Journal of Mental Health 1994;23:3-23
Browne J P, O’Boyle C A, McGee H M, Joyce C R B, McDonald N J,
O’Malley K, Hiltbrunner B. Individual quality of life in the healthy elderly.
Quality of Life Research. 1994;2:235-44
Joyce C R B. How can we measure individual quality of life? Schweizerische
Medizinische Wochenschrift 1994;124: 1921-6
O’Boyle C A, McGee H M, Joyce C R B. Quality of life: assessing theindividual. In G Albrecht and R Fitzpatrick (eds.) Quality of Life in HealthCare. New York:JAI Press (in press).
Addendum
Hickey A M, Bury G, O’Boyle C A, Bradley F, O’Reilly F D, Shannon W.
(1996) A new short-form individual quality of life measure (SEIQoL-DW):
application in a cohort of individuals with HIV/AIDS. British Medical Journal
313:29-33© Department of Psychology, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, 1993

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CUE DEFINITIONS RECORD FORMDESCRIPTION OF CUE

CUE LABEL

1.

____________

2.

____________

3.

____________

4.

____________

5.

____________(Tick any cues elicited by reading list to person)© Department of Psychology, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, 1993

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SAMPLE CUE LEVELS RECORD FORM

BEST POSSIBLE

VERY GOOD

GOOD

NEITHER GOOD
NOR BADBAD

VERY BAD

WORST POSSIBLE© Department of Psychology, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, 1993

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CUE LEVELS RECORD FORM

BEST POSSIBLE

WORST POSSIBLE© Department of Psychology, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, 1993

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INTERVIEW RECORD FORM

1. TIME TAKEN

2. UNDERSTANDING OF METHOD•

Not Understood•

Poor/Uncertain
Understanding•

Understood

3. FATIGUE/BOREDOM
•

None

/

•

Some

/

•

A Lot

/

4. OVERALL VALIDITY OF INFORMATION (in light of 2 & 3 above)
Definitely Invalid
Uncertain
Valid

5. WEIGHTS ASSIGNED TO CUES
Cue 1: Weight (%)
Cue 2: Weight (%)
Cue 3: Weight (%)
Cue 4: Weight (%)
Cue 5: Weight (%)© Department of Psychology, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, 1993