BACKGROUND Outcomes validate program performance and patient benefits received from cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation. However, outcomes have little meaning without test standardization and the ability to benchmark data with other programs. The purpose of this article is to demonstrate the feasibility for measuring standardized outcomes in a large number of rehabilitation programs. METHODS...

OBJECTIVES We aimed first to summarise minimal clinically important differences (MCIDs) after total hip (THR) or knee replacement (TKR) in health-related quality of life (HRQoL), measured using the Short-Form 36 (SF-36). Secondly, we aimed to improve the precision of MCID estimates by means of meta-analysis. METHODS We conducted a systematic review of English and non-English articles using ME...

OBJECTIVE To determine how often health surveys and quality of life evaluations reach different conclusions from those of primary efficacy outcomes and whether discordant results make a difference in the interpretation of trial findings. DESIGN Systematic review. DATA SOURCES PubMed, contact with authors for missing information, and author survey for unpublished SF-36 data. STUDY SELECTIO...

The relationship between disability and health related quality of life (HRQL) is complex because of the role that function plays in the measurement, and certain points need to be dealt with in greater detail when the analysis is applied to the different dimensions of HRQL. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of disability on different domains of quality of life. Variables were dr...

We aimed to evaluate the association between smoking, changes in smoking, and quality of life in a cohort of Spanish university graduates. Smoking habits were self-reported at baseline and four years later. Quality of life was assessed using the Short Form-36 (SF-36) at year 4. Statistical differences in SF-36 scores between groups were determined using ANCOVA with age and sex as covariates. Ou...

OBJECTIVES The aim of this study is to evaluate the criterion validity and responsiveness to changes over time of the Medical Outcome Study Short Form 36 (MOS SF-36) measure. METHODS A consecutive sample of 775 patients 16 to 78 years treated for an unintentional injury at the hospital or emergency clinic in Drammen, Norway was selected for the study. Data about activity restrictions and heal...

BACKGROUND Missing items are common in quality of life (QoL) questionnaires and present a challenge for research in this field. The development of sound strategies of replacement and prevention requires accurate knowledge of their type and determinants. METHODS We used the 2003 French Decennial Health Survey of a representative sample of the general population--including 22,620 adult subjects...

OBJECTIVE to assess test characteristics of the Medical Outcomes Study SF-36 (Short-Form 36) with residents of nursing homes. RESEARCH DESIGN nursing home residents with 17 or more points on the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and > or = 3 months residence (128 of 552 screened) were selected randomly. Interviewers administered the SF-36 (repeated after 1 week), Geriatric Depression Scale...

BACKGROUND The SF-36 and SF-12 summary scores were derived using an uncorrelated (orthogonal) factor solution. We estimate SF-36 and SF-12 summary scores using a correlated (oblique) physical and mental health factor model. METHODS We administered the SF-36 to 7,093 patients who received medical care from an independent association of 48 physician groups in the western United States. Correlat...