Generic health-related quality of life. ≈ 10 minutes to complete.
SF-36 (36-Item Short Form Health Survey) is a validated reference instrument used to assess generic health-related quality of life. It is most often used for generic health-related quality-of-life assessment. Typical administration time is ≈ 10 minutes.
Source / attribution: © OptumInsight (commercial license required)
If SF-36 doesn't fit your context, related instruments in general include:
| Scale | Measures | Items | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| ASA Physical Status | Pre-operative health status | 1 | — |
| Barthel Index | Functional independence in ADLs | 10 | — |
| BDI-II | Severity of depression | — | ≈ 5 minutes |
| CHA2DS2-VASc | Annual stroke risk in non-valvular atrial fibrillation | 8 | — |
| Child-Pugh | Severity of cirrhosis and prognosis | 5 | — |
| CURB-65 | 30-day mortality in community-acquired pneumonia | 5 | — |
| Glasgow Coma Scale | Level of consciousness after head injury | 3 | — |
| GDS-15 | Depression screening in older adults | 15 | — |
SF-36 (36-Item Short Form Health Survey) is a validated instrument that assesses generic health-related quality of life. Its primary clinical use is Generic health-related quality-of-life assessment. It takes about 10 minutes to complete, and the items are combined to produce a total score.
SF-36 typically takes about 10 minutes to administer. The exact duration varies a little depending on whether it is self-administered or completed with a clinician. Its brief format is part of what makes it practical for routine clinical use and for repeat administration when tracking change over time.
SF-36 is licensed by Optum and requires a paid license for online hosting.
Yes — RAND-36. Same item set as SF-36, free with attribution to RAND.
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. This is the original publication for the SF-36 — the reference to cite when reporting results.
No. SF-36 is a structured assessment aid, not a diagnostic test. Its proper role is Generic health-related quality-of-life assessment — it standardizes assessment and flags who needs closer evaluation, but the result must be weighed alongside history, examination, and clinical context. When a score conflicts with your clinical impression, clinical judgment takes precedence; treatment decisions should never rest on a screening score alone.
SF-36 is supported by the following peer-reviewed sources: