The Drug User Health Quality of Life Scale (PDF) tool was developed by the Drug User Health team at the Washington State Department of Health to capture a more complete picture of wellbeing for people who use drugs.
The research of people who use drugs often focuses on clinical health and overlooks the social and structural factors that contribute to wellness. People have priorities in life that include and go beyond physical or behavioral health, and the order in which they're prioritized can look different for different populations. In recognition of this, we partnered with syringe service programs and people who use drugs in a qualitative and quantitative project to understand what quality of life means to people who use drugs and how it can be measured. From this work we developed this tool, which can be used to measure wellness for people who use drugs beyond clinical measures.
There are different ways that this tool can be used. At an individual level, the Drug User Health Quality of Life Scale can help providers identify needs, tailor conversations and services, and direct referrals. At a group level, it can be administered along with an intervention to measure its effect on quality of life. By creating a tool that defines and evaluates wellbeing through a broader, holistic lens, we hope to contribute towards more humanizing research and dialog around drug use and the populations involved.