Patients' needs, satisfaction, and health related quality of life: Towards a comprehensive model

With the publication of its 100th paper, the new open access Journal Health and Quality of Life Outcomes (HQLO), achieves a significant milestone. Launching a journal in this field was not just a challenge with respect to nomenclature, [1] but also provided a forum for disseminating research which emphasises the unique contributions as well as the inter-relationships among determinants of health, provision of care, and outcomes. So far, prominence (as measured by the number of scientific manuscripts accepted for publication) has been given mainly to the unique contributions of health-related quality of life (HRQL). Other determinants like health needs and satisfaction have sporadically been considered [2-7]. A few additional papers have focused on approaches to detect ill health. In this editorial we would like to explore the relationship between needs, satisfaction and quality of life, identify gaps in the current knowledge base, and encourage future research in these areas.