title: Measuring health-status improvement after surgery: experience with the SF-36.
abstract: The outcomes of care delivery are increasingly being measured and managed by health care providers and clinicians. The authors describe an outcomes monitoring program implemented in one tertiary care center that uses both generic and condition-specific instruments to monitor patient recovery after routine surgery. The SF-36 Health Survey was shown to be a useful tool for measuring changes in functional status and well-being after inguinal hernia repair, cholecystectomy, and parathyroidectomy. Recommendations for its successful adoption in a clinical setting are presented.
authors.affiliation: Division of Nursing Systems Administration, University of Michigan, School of Nursing, Ann Arbor 48109-0482, USA.
authors.forename: K R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: R E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Burney
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Peterson
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Christy
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D002763:Cholecystectomy / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006304:Health Status; D006306:Health Surveys; D059685:Herniorrhaphy; D006801:Humans; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D016105:Parathyroidectomy / Q000009:adverse effects*; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000209:etiology; D015397:Program Evaluation; D015203:Reproducibility of Results