Validation of the SF-36 in patients with endometriosis

The Author(s) 2013. This article is published with open access at Springerlink.com Objectives Endometriosis presents with significant pain as the most common symptom. Generic health measures can allow comparisons across diseases or populations. However, the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 36 (SF-36) has not been validated for this disease. The goal of this study was to validate the SF-36 (version 2) for endometriosis. Methods Using data from two clinical trials (N = 252 and 198) of treatment for endometriosis, a full complement of psychometric analyses was performed. Additional instruments included a pain visual analog scale (VAS); a physician-completed questionnaire based on patient inter-view (modified Biberoglu and Behrman—B&B); clinical global impression of change (CGI-C); and patient satis-faction with treatment. Results Bodily pain (BP) and the Physical Component Summary Score (PCS) were correlated with the pain VAS at baseline and over time and the B&B at baseline and end of study. In addition, those who had the greatest change in BP and PCS also reported the greatest change on CGI-C and patient satisfaction with treatment. Other subscales showed smaller, but significant, correlations with change in the pain VAS, CGI-C, and patient satisfaction with treatment. Conclusions The SF-36—particularly BP and the PCS— appears to be a valid and responsive measure for endo-metriosis and its treatment