[Quality of life assessment as a gateway to the patient's individuality].

In the context of increasing life expectancy and complex medical situations, quality of life assessment can be a gateway to the patient's individuality and support medical decision making. There are different qualitative and quantitative assessment tools, ranging from a simple question that starts the discussion to standardized questionnaires. It is necessary to distinguish quality of life assessment in its economic, research and quality of care improvement perspective, from its evaluation within the doctor-patient relationship.