Health status assessments using the Veterans SF-12 and SF-36: methods for evaluating otucomes in the Veterans Health Administration.
This article describes a study in which the administration of two health surveys, the Veterans SF-36 and SF-12, by telephone and mail-out was used to assess the differences in the health surveys' costs and scores by mode of administration and determine which mode was cost-efficient. The study employed a crossover design: after 12 unsuccessful attempts to contact patients by telephone, the patients were administered the survey by mail, and after 2 unsuccessful mail-outs, up to three attempts were made to interview the patients by telephone. The analysis of the data showed that mail administration, with or without crossover to telephone, was more cost-efficient than telephone administration, having both lower average total and variable costs per completed questionnaire. Overall, telephone administration was about 30% more expensive that mail administration, primarily due to the cost of labor. The marginal cost of an additional completed Veterans SF-12 or Veterans SF-36 was also substantially lower for mail administration. Mail administration without crossover to telephone administration was the most cost-efficient strategy for administering both the Veterans SF-12 and SF-36. The results of this study strongly suggest the need to consider the mode of administration if questionnaires like the Veterans SF-12 or SF-36 are to be used to assess health outcomes within and across large health care systems.
Jones
D
D
Center for Health Quality, Outcomes and Economic Research, HSR&D Field Program, VAMC, Bedford, Massachusetts, USA.
Kazis
L
L
Lee
A
A
Rogers
W
W
Skinner
K
K
Cassar
L
L
Wilson
N
N
Hendricks
A
A
D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D003625:Data Collection / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D011177:Postal Service / Q000191:economics; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D011788:Quality of Life; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013689:Telephone / Q000191:economics; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014493:United States Department of Veterans Affairs; D014728:Veterans / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*