Testing the measurement properties of the Short Form-36 Health Survey in a frail elderly population.
The Short Form-36 Health Survey (SF-36) is a widely used measure of health-related quality of life, however, its suitability for frail older persons is not well documented. This study examines the measurement properties of the SF-36 in a frail older patient population. Patients consecutively admitted to two geriatric services (n = 146) were administered the SF-36 and comparative measures on admission and discharge. Internal consistency (0.75-0.91) and test-retest reliability (0.24-0.80) did not meet standards for clinical application of the tool. Four subscales were moderately correlated with comparative measures (Physical Function 0.53 to -0.76; Bodily Pain -0.61; Vitality -0.58; Mental Health -0.63). The results of effect size, standardized response mean, and relative efficiency statistics were consistent in documenting only minimal change for the SF-36 subscales. The SF-36 appears to be reliable and valid, although its ability to monitor clinical change for frail older patients is questionable.
Division of Geriatric Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
K
K
Stadnyk
J
J
Calder
K
K
Rockwood
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015987:Effect Modifier, Epidemiologic; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D016330:Frail Elderly / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D011594:Psychometrics; D011788:Quality of Life; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards*