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DOI: 10.1177/016327879802100206 © 1998 SAGE Publications Selecting a Generic Measure of Health-Related Quality of Life for Use among Older AdultsA Comparison of Candidate InstrumentsSt. Louis University, University of Rochester
University of Rochester
University of Rochester
University of Rochester, Monroe Community Hospital
University of Rochester Selecting an outcomes assessment instrument requires knowledge of their relative merits, especially head-to-head comparisons. The authors compare health-related quality-of-life (HRQOL) instruments among older adults for theirpsychometric properties and subject burden, specifically the Sickness Impact Profile (SIP) and Medical Outcomes Study Short- Form 36 (SF-36). Subjects were 282 of 373 eligible older adults (75.6% response) ranging in age from 65 to 96. SIP scores demonstrated a strong skew toward low (good health) scores with a mean of 11.1% (SD 11.5) on the Total SIP index score. Similar components of the SIP and SF-36 were moderately to strongly correlated. The SIP suffered from a ceiling (good health) scaling effect, and the SF-36 scales also demonstrated some scaling extremes. These results demonstrate the relative scaling limits, especially the ceiling effect, of the SIP compared to the SF- 36, and in general, the SF-36 is preferredfor use among community-living older adults.
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