SF-36 Scales in the Relaxin study

The SF-36 summary scales were valid, reliable, and equivalent in a Chinese population.

OBJECTIVES To find out whether the SF-36 physical and mental health summary (PCS and MCS) scales are valid and equivalent in the Chinese population in Hong Kong (HK). STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING The SF-36 data of a cross-sectional study on 2,410 Chinese adults randomly selected from the general population in HK were analyzed. RESULTS The hypothesized two-factor structure of the physical and me...

Transforming self-rated health and the SF-36 scales to include death and improve interpretability.

BACKGROUND Most measures of health-related quality of life are undefined for people who die. Longitudinal analyses are often limited to a healthier cohort (survivors) that cannot be identified prospectively, and that may have had little change in health. OBJECTIVE To develop and evaluate methods to transform a single self-rated health item (excellent to poor; EVGGFP) and the physical componen...

Outcome measurement in functional somatic syndromes: SF-36 summary scores and some scales were not valid.

OBJECTIVE This study aimed to test the validity of the 36-item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) scales and summaries in patients with severe functional somatic syndromes (FSS), such as fibromyalgia and irritable bowel syndrome. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING One hundred twenty patients with severe FSS enrolled in a randomized controlled trial filled in the SF-36 questionnaire. We tested for data qu...

The Medical Outcomes Study 36-item short-form health survey (SF-36).

Interpreting the SF-36 Health Survey

One of the most frequently asked questions about health surveys such as the SF-36® is "what do the numbers mean"? Health status scores are abstractions, which obtain meaning through knowledge of how the scores are related to other variables. Although we may not think about it, this is also true for more commonly used measures. For example, a temperature of 0°C is an abstract number, which becom...