Short Form 36 (SF-36)
Clinical intent
The SF-36 was a product of the Medical Outcomes Study (MOS), a four-year study that examined specific influences on outcomes of care [1]. From the original 149-item Functional and Well Being Profile used in the MOS, Ware and Sherbourne, working with the RAND Corporation, published the SF-36 in 1992, selecting eight health domains from the forty identified in the MOS [2]. The original SF-36 underwent many changes and separate derivatives were created. In 1993, Hays, Sherbourne, and Mazel released a publicly available version of the SF-36, the RAND-36 [3].
Clinical interpretation
Generally, a high score defines a more favorable health state.
References
[1] Tarlov AR, Ware JE Jr, Greenfield S, Nelson EC, Perrin E, Zubkoff M. The Medical Outcomes Study. An application of methods for monitoring the results of medical care. JAMA. 1989;262(7):925-930. doi:10.1001/jama.262.7.925
[2] Ware JE Jr, Sherbourne CD. The MOS 36-item short-form health survey (SF-36). I. Conceptual framework and item selection. Med Care. 1992;30(6):473-483.
[3] Hays RD, Sherbourne CD, Mazel RM. The RAND 36-Item Health Survey 1.0. Health Econ. 1993;2(3):217-227. doi:10.1002/hec.4730020305
Pathway
Form preview
Interactive preview of the questionnaire. Not for clinical use. Responses are not stored.
