With the introduction and growing acceptance of the biopsychosocial model of health, it is becoming increasingly common to assess the quality of life of patients before, during, or after serious illness, pain, or surgery. Palliative carers are especially concerned with the well-being of patients who may be suffering from psychological as well as physical symptoms. The effects of psychological processes are now recognised as major contributors to our physical health. For this reason, the MSAS-SF was developed and validated for clinicians who require a quick, accurate, and multi-dimensional measure of patient quality of life.