title: The 36-item short form.
abstract: The use of patient-derived, objective outcome measures has expanded substantially within the orthopaedic literature. Quality-of-life instruments are categorized as general health or as condition-specific questionnaires. The Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short Form (SF-36) is a general health-based survey of quality of life. It has been validated, is used widely across medical disciplines, and can be self-administered by the patient with reliability. The SF-36 has been implemented to define disease conditions, to determine the effect of treatment, to differentiate the effect of different treatments, and to compare orthopaedic conditions with other medical conditions. However, a bias of lower over upper extremity function has been demonstrated with the SF-36, as have limitations in assessment of certain physical activities of daily living as well as upper and lower limits on the detection of certain changes in quality-of-life status. Nevertheless, with an adequate knowledge of its effectiveness and limitations, the SF-36 can be a useful tool in many branches of orthopaedic surgery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84108, USA.
authors.forename: Alpesh A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Patel
authors.forename: Derek
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Donegan
authors.forename: Todd
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Albert
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D009140:Musculoskeletal Diseases; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires