sf36

 SF-36 Literature
 Construction of the SF-36
 Version 2.0
 Psychometric Considerations
 Translations
 Discussion

The SF-36 is a multi-purpose, short-form health survey with only 36 questions. It yields an 8-scale profile of functional health and well-being scores as well as psychometrically-based physical and mental health summary measures and a preference-based health utility index. It is a generic measure, as opposed to one that targets a specific age, disease, or treatment group. Accordingly, the SF-36 has proven useful in surveys of general and specific populations, comparing the relative burden of diseases, and in differentiating the health benefits produced by a wide range of different treatments. This book chapter summarizes the steps in the construction of the SF-36; how it led to the development of an even shorter (1-page, 2-minute) survey form -- the SF-12; the improvements reflected in Version 2.0 of the SF-36; psychometric studies of assumptions underlying scale construction and scoring; how they have been translated in more than 50 countries as part of the International Quality of Life Assessment (IQOLA) Project; and studies of reliability and validity.