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Reliability of the MOS SF36 health status measure in Australian general practice
1Needs Assessment & Health Outcomes Unit, Central Sydney Area Health Service, New South Wales.
Objective:
Past studies suggest that the MOS SF36 holds promise as a useful instrument to assess health outcomes. Although it is being promoted for use in general practice, it is important first to examine its reliability in this setting.
Method:
A consecutive sample of 64 adult patients were recruited from an experienced general practitioner's waiting room in metropolitan Sydney. They were asked to complete identical questionnaires containing the Medical Outcomes Study (MOS) SF36 mailed to them on two separate occasions.
Results:
There was a 66% response rate for both Time 1 and Time 2 surveys resulting in 64 paired questionnaires with high item completion rates (95-100%). The results demonstrated high internal consistency for both tests (Cronbach's a > 0.87). The reliability coefficients ranged from 0.59 to 0.89 across scales.
Conclusions:
This study provides support for the psychometric stability of the MOS SF36 as quality of life measure for patients in general practice. However, a large study is required to establish much needed normative ranges for self administered instruments in general practice.