CONTEXT: 'Short Form' health surveys - such as the SF-36 and SF-12 - are widely used in medical research. Spinal cord injury (SCI) is no exception, despite oft-cited concerns regarding measurement properties for populations with physical impairment. OBJECTIVE: To provide a comprehensive overview of the use of Short Form health surveys and their variants within the SCI literature. METHODS: Papers published between database inception and September 2012 were identified from 11 electronic databases; a supplementary reference list search was also conducted. Data extraction focused on details regarding the range of different Short Form surveys and variants used in SCI research, the respective frequency of use, the nature of reporting (complete versus partial reporting) and the method of survey administration. RESULTS: One hundred seventy-four papers were identified. Thirty-six-item Short Form health surveys were frequently administered as complete instruments (n = 82); in 69 of these 82 studies (84%), it was not clearly stated which 36-item version had been used (e.g. SF-36v1, SF-36v2, RAND-36). Data for individual items and domains were often reported (29% of identified studies), indicating significant partial use of standardized measures. Modified variants of standardized health surveys were administered in 12 studies. CONCLUSION: Although standardized Short Form health surveys are common within SCI research, attempts to add, delete, or modify items have resulted in a number of variants, often with minimal supportive psychometric evidence. Using established, generic outcome measures is appealing for a number of reasons. However, validity is paramount and requires further explicit consideration within the SCI research community.
CONTEXT: 'Short Form' health surveys - such as the SF-36 and SF-12 - are widely used in medical research. Spinal cord injury (SCI) is no exception, despite oft-cited concerns regarding measurement properties for populations with physical impairment. OBJECTIVE: To provide a comprehensive overview of the use of Short Form health surveys and their variants within the SCI literature. METHODS: Papers published between database inception and September 2012 were identified from 11 electronic databases; a supplementary reference list search was also conducted. Data extraction focused on details regarding the range of different Short Form surveys and variants used in SCI research, the respective frequency of use, the nature of reporting (complete versus partial reporting) and the method of survey administration. RESULTS: One hundred seventy-four papers were identified. Thirty-six-item Short Form health surveys were frequently administered as complete instruments (n = 82); in 69 of these 82 studies (84%), it was not clearly stated which 36-item version had been used (e.g. SF-36v1, SF-36v2, RAND-36). Data for individual items and domains were often reported (29% of identified studies), indicating significant partial use of standardized measures. Modified variants of standardized health surveys were administered in 12 studies. CONCLUSION: Although standardized Short Form health surveys are common within SCI research, attempts to add, delete, or modify items have resulted in a number of variants, often with minimal supportive psychometric evidence. Using established, generic outcome measures is appealing for a number of reasons. However, validity is paramount and requires further explicit consideration within the SCI research community.
Entities:
Keywords:
Health services research; Health surveys; Quality of life; Spinal cord injuries
Authors: Gabriel Tan; Diana H Rintala; Mark P Jensen; J Scott Richards; Sally Ann Holmes; Rama Parachuri; Shamsi Lashgari-Saegh; Larry R Price Journal: J Spinal Cord Med Date: 2011 Impact factor: 1.985
Authors: Thomas N Bryce; Cecilia Norrbrink Budh; Diana D Cardenas; Marcel Dijkers; Elizabeth R Felix; Nanna B Finnerup; Paul Kennedy; Thomas Lundeberg; J Scott Richards; Diana H Rintala; Philip Siddall; Eva Widerstrom-Noga Journal: J Spinal Cord Med Date: 2007 Impact factor: 1.985
Authors: Milo A Puhan; Alka Ahuja; Mark L Van Natta; Lori E Ackatz; Curtis Meinert Journal: Health Qual Life Outcomes Date: 2011-05-10 Impact factor: 3.186
Authors: Liam M Hannan; David G T Whitehurst; Stirling Bryan; Jeremy D Road; Christine F McDonald; David J Berlowitz; Mark E Howard Journal: Qual Life Res Date: 2017-03-02 Impact factor: 4.147
Authors: Mohammad Sohrab Hossain; Md Shofiqul Islam; Md Akhlasur Rahman; Joanne V Glinsky; Robert D Herbert; Stanley Ducharme; Lisa A Harvey Journal: Spinal Cord Date: 2019-08 Impact factor: 2.772
Authors: Sherri L LaVela; Allen W Heinemann; Bella Etingen; Ana Miskovic; Sara M Locatelli; David Chen Journal: J Spinal Cord Med Date: 2015-12-17 Impact factor: 1.985
Authors: Yvonne Anne Michel; Lidia Engel; Kim Rand-Hendriksen; Liv Ariane Augestad; David Gt Whitehurst Journal: Health Qual Life Outcomes Date: 2016-11-28 Impact factor: 3.186