Frequently Asked Questions

“Poz” is a colloquial term that refers to people living with HIV (PLHIV). It is common in a number of English-speaking countries. It is a play on words that comes from 2 meanings of the word “positive” in English:

1. If something is “positive”, it is good, constructive, optimistic, confident, desirable.
2. A person who is “HIV positive” is a person who has HIV.

So, when we use “Poz” to talk about PLHIV, we mean empowerment, self-determination, and good quality of life. Peer-based PLHIV organisations, especially, use it a lot.

No! You do not need permission to use PozQoL for non-commercial purposes. Please see our Terms of Use for more information.

While there is no requirement for you to tell us that you are using PozQoL, we are interested to understand how people are using it. We would be keen to hear your feedback about your experiences.

Yes! PozQoL is free for non-commercial use. Please see our Terms of Use for more information.

Yes! PozQoL has been translated into a range of languages. Visit the Scale and Tools page for a full list.

In our PozQoL Stories, you can read about people using PozQoL in languages other than English.

(Please note: At this time, only the English version of the scale has been tested for reliability and sensitivity. It was tested on an Australian sample.)

Yes! There is a Simple PozQoL Calculator that you can use to calculate scores from individual people. You can choose the language of the scale items and response options.

There is also a Pre-Post Group PozQoL Calculator that calculates and compares baseline and follow-up group PozQoL Scores. This tool is only in English.

Both tools have instructions in English.

The information here on the website and in the PozQoL Implementation Kit was designed to help support you to use PozQoL. We are pleased to hear feedback from on how we can improve these resources. We currently do not have the resources to provide free support or guidance for using PozQoL. If you would like to discuss research collaborations or consultancy support, please don't hesitate to contact us.

Yes! You can read about how others are using / have used PozQoL on our PozQoL Stories page.