Interest in the quality of life construct has increased in the same proportion as the output of instruments to measure it. In order to analyze the scientific literature on the subject to provide a reflection on this construct in Brazil, a systematic review of the SciELO database covering the period from January 2001 to December 2006 was conducted. It was divided into 3 phases: the first involving 180 publications, the second 124, and the third 10. Of the 180 publications, 77.4% consisted of production in the last three years, with growth of 32.4% from 2001 to 2006. Of these, 124 were selected for methodological analysis in accordance with the category of the study: 79 (63.9%) instrument application articles; 25 (20.1%) translation, validation, adaptation and construction of a QOL instrument; 10 (8%) qualitative studies on QOL; 5 (4%) bibliographical review, 5 (4%) on the quality of life concept. The next stage involved the use of questionnaires and/or interview scripts in order to obtain a broader consensus on perceived quality of life from the interviewees. It was seen that there was significant scientific output in the period under scrutiny, with diversification of approaches and methodologies, highlighting the complexity of the quality of life construct.