Introduction: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic disorder couldn’t be completely cured by the current medical treatment and can lead to reduced quality of life(QOL).The aim of the study is to assess the QOL. Thus, a need based intervention can be prepared for self-care management skill. Methods: This cross sectional study was performed on 111 patients in South India using convenient sampling. The collected data included demographic, clinical characteristics and Short form (SF)36. Results: The mental and physical components were assessed using SF 36.The mean (S.D) of physical components were PF 48.329( 25.69), RL -PH 31.76(42.1) , Pain 50.56 (20.77), GH 46.44 (15.29) and mental components were RL-EH 43.84(46.92), Energy 54.19(16.73), EW 61.19(16.84), SF 56.08(23.16). Association found with age, education, income, marital status, DAS, global functional status and duration of illness with the components of QOL atP> 0.05 level of significance. Conclusion: The physical components of QOL are lower with RA patients. It important to know the QOL to plan for better care provided by the health care professionals
