This objective of this study was to review literature on the responsiveness or sensitivity to changes of Ferrans & Powers instruments (IQVFP), for assessing quality of life (QV) using both the generic and specific versions. The articles were identified using the databases PubMed / Medline, Lilacs and SciELO and the electronic site of the authors, using the keywords: quality of life, responsiveness, sensitivity to change, Ferrans and Powers Index, and measurement tool. Of the 31 articles identified, 20 were assessed in full. As to the objectives, 85% were related to QV and interventions, and 15% about responsiveness, mostly developed with cardiac patients (11/55%). Among the three studies of responsiveness, two tested the psychometric properties of reliability and responsiveness. The other was a literature review. It was concluded that the number of studies that tested the responsiveness of the instruments IQVFP is low, requiring new studies to assess this property of measurement.
Quality of life; Health status indicators; Heart diseases; Evaluation/menthods; Review
