Measuring health-status improvement after surgery: experience with the SF-36
Jones, K.R.; Burney, R.E.; Peterson, M.; Christy, B.
Seminars for Nurse Managers 6(3): 139-143
1998
ISSN/ISBN: 1066-3851 PMID: 9887864 Document Number: 493550
The outcomes of care delivery are increasingly being measured and managed by health care providers and clinicians. The authors describe an outcomes monitoring program implemented in one tertiary care center that uses both generic and condition-specific instruments to monitor patient recovery after routine surgery. The SF-36 Health Survey was shown to be a useful tool for measuring changes in functional status and well-being after inguinal hernia repair, cholecystectomy, and parathyroidectomy. Recommendations for its successful adoption in a clinical setting are presented.