Strategies and processes for the effective dissemination and diffusion of research findings on health-related quality of life (HQL) into practical applications were explored at a workshop held in Montreal in April, 1994. A conceptual model for dissemination and diffusion of evidence about HQL was used to identify five different target groups: HQL assessors, policy makers, planners of clinical trials, developers of clinical practice guidelines, and those at the level of patient-practitioner clinical decision making. A framework designed to facilitate the translation of fundamental research knowledge into effective action was then used as a starting point for discussions about priorities for research on HQL. The most important problem identified at the workshop was how best to strike an appropriate balance between priorities deemed to be important to those directly involved in HQL research, and priorities deemed to be important to potential users of the results of HQL research?