Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 6, 2026

Oral Health Assessment by Lay Personnel for Older Adults
Published on: February 2, 2020
Single-item vs multiple-item measures of health-related quality of life
Abstract:
Many survey instruments measure health-related quality of life. Researchers can choose from instruments ranging in length from one to several hundred items. A small sample of 35 chronically ill adults self-administered the Short-form General Health Survey of the Medical Outcomes Study, a 20-item health-related quality-of-life measure with established reliability and validity. One specific item on the MOS questionnaire can serve as a single-item measure of health-related quality of life. This one item correlated positively and significantly with the over-all score for health-related quality of life. The results of this analysis support the use of this single-item measure of health-related quality of life when multiple-item instruments are not suitable due to limitations of resources or sample size.
Related Concept Videos
Ordinal Level of Measurement
Data measured using an ordinal scale are similar to nominal scale data, but there is one major difference. The ordinal scale data can be ordered. An example of ordinal scale data is a list of the top five national parks in the...
Concepts of Health and Illness
Dimensions of Health and Illness
Documentation in Long-Term and Home Healthcare Setting
Long-Term Care Facilities
Bioavailability Study Design: Single Versus Multiple Dose Studies
Assessment of the Cardiovascular System I: Subjective Data
Initial Enquiry
Ask the patient about their primary concern and thoroughly explore all reported symptoms.
Medical History
Investigate past illnesses affecting the cardiovascular system, such as angina, anemia, rheumatic fever, congenital heart disease, stroke, thrombophlebitis, dysrhythmias, varicosities
Inquire about symptoms...
