The MOS 36-item short form health survey. A conceptual analysis

The SF-36 is a practical and widely-tested instrument for measuring health status and medical outcomes. This article is not a critique of the SF-36, rather, it underscores its viability as an instrument for measuring physical and mental health and well-being. The article is a conceptual analysis of the SF-36, from the viewpoint of four models of health: medical, World Health Organization, wellness, and environmental. All four models suggest that the SF-36 be expanded to include other dimensions of health, especially mental and social. Specific dimensions to be included are: incidents of morbidity, satisfaction with quality of life, absence of mental disorders, social adjustment, social support, higher states of functioning, and adjustment to the environment. The end result of the suggested additions would be an instrument with greater conceptual meaning, for use in medical outcomes studies or surveys of the general population.