Patients can self-report on treatment benefits and condition management
Toronto, August 10, 2020 – Reformulary Group, a Canadian healthcare company, today announced its first offering in its commitment to use patient-powered evidence – the Quality of Life (QoL) survey. The tool is designed for patients to track their health-related quality of life, assessing the effectiveness of their medication and how well their symptoms are being managed.
The tool empowers patients to measure the impact of prescription drugs and medical cannabis on their quality of life across four domains: physical, psychological, social and environmental. This ensures the individual’s perception of how their illness is impacting areas such as relationships, memory and concentration is captured, extending beyond the traditional assessment of health and quality of life.
“There is an increasing demand for patients to play a more active role in managing their personal health and this tool enables that self-advocacy,” said Helen Stevenson, CEO of Reformulary Group. “The QoL survey is an evidence-based and effective way for patients to track their real-world health experiences, use it for themselves, share it with their doctor, and contribute to a larger research base.”
Expert-led and tested
Reformulary’s QoL tool has been developed and piloted by experts. It is based on the World Health Organization’s Quality of Life survey, WHOQOL-100, and adapted by the University of Cambridge. Survey questions have been rigorously tested to assess validity and reliability and the length of the survey shortened to ensure greater patient participation.
Initially launched on Reformulary’s Cannabis Standard Platform, the QoL survey will soon be deployed for broader use in Reformulary’s core business on the prescription drug side. This will widen the scope of health-related quality of life insights and help move the dial in the management of disease, prescription drugs, lifestyle and well-being.
Tracking outcomes over time
Individuals take the QoL survey before starting their prescribed medication to achieve a baseline. The survey is then completed every two weeks to track the patient’s wellbeing over time and clearly determine the benefits (or not) of their treatment.
Patients receive a printable report of the results which becomes a valuable personal tracker of their quality of life that is easy-to-share with their healthcare professional. This helps to nurture seamless continuity of care. Beyond the doctor’s office, it also encourages people to be mindful advocates of their own wellbeing and to strive towards optimizing their health.
About Reformulary Group
Founded in 2011, Reformulary Group is an expert-led healthcare company focused on helping Canadians and companies make sense of medicine. The company’s proprietary drug list, the Reformulary®, and award-winning DrugFinder™ provide Canadians with valuable comparative drug information, reviewed and vetted by an independent committee of doctors and pharmacists from across Canada. Reformulary Group built Cannabis Standard™, a discovery tool to guide medical cannabis use. Cannabis Standard also enables patients to search and compare products and to track the impact of medical cannabis on their quality of life using a survey tool recognized by doctors and medical professionals around the world. For more information visit www.reformulary.com.