Readying a US measure of health status, the SF-36, for use in Canada

• Published in: Clinical and investigative medicine Vol. 20; no. 4; pp. 224 - 237
• Main Authors: DAUPHINEE, S. W, GAUTHIER, L, GANDEK, B, MAGNAN, L, PIERRE, U
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Toronto, ON Canadian Medical Association 01.08.1997; Canadian Society for Clinical Investigation
• Subjects: Algorithms; Analysis. Health state; Biological and medical sciences; Canada; Epidemiology; France; General aspects; Health Status; Health Surveys; Humans; Medical sciences; Medicine; Pilot Projects; Polls & surveys; Psychometrics; Public health; Public health. Hygiene; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; Surveys and Questionnaires; Translations; United States; Canada; North America; America; France; United States; Evaluation; Methodology; Health; Standardization; Clinical investigation; Measurement method; Public health
• ISSN: 0147-958X; 1488-2353

To culturally adapt and translate for use in French- and English-speaking areas of Canada the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36), a carefully developed and standardized measure that is useful for assessing the outcomes for care. For the Canadian French version, the methods involved forward and backward translations, quality ratings of the translated product, a scaling exercise and pilot tests. A process of cultural adaptation, along with the scaling exercise and pilot tests, was used to create a form in Canadian English. The authors produced acceptable versions of the SF-36 in Canadian French and English. Although further psychometric testing of the Canadian versions of the SF-36 is desirable, they are now available for use in clinical practice and research in Canada.