The assessment of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is very challenging because of the multifaceted nature of the clinical presentations, complexity of the symptoms and their variation over time. Outcome Measures in Rheumatology (OMERACT) recommended the assessment of disease activity, chronic damage resulting from lupus activity or its treatment, adverse events of drugs, health-related quality of life and economic impact. The use of instruments is essential for a standardized assessment of the disease domains. For this purpose, several instruments have been developed and validated, and have been used in clinical settings and research. Here, we review these instruments and provide an update on the recent developments in the field.