Work

Assessing current functioning as a measure of significant reduction in activity level

Year: 2016

Type: article

Abstract: Background: Myalgic encephalomyelitis and chronic fatigue syndrome have case definitions with varying criteria, but almost all criteria require an individual to have a substantial reduction in activity level. Unfortunately, a consensus has not been reached regarding what constitutes substantial reductions. One measure that has been used to measure substantial reduction is the Medical Outcomes Study Short-Form-36 Health Survey (SF-36). [1 Ware JE, Sherbourne CD. The MOS 36-item short-form health survey (SF-36): conceptual framework and item selection. Med Care. 1992;30:473–483. doi: https://doi.org/10.1097/00005650-199206000-00002[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]] Purpose: The current study examined the relationship between the SF-36, a measure of current functioning, and a self-report measure of the percent reduction in hours spent on activities. Results: Findings indicated that select subscales of the SF-36 accurately measure significant reductions in functioning. Further, this measure significantly differentiates patients from controls. Conclusion: Determining what constitutes a significant reduction in activity is difficult because it is subjective to the individual. However, certain subscales of the SF-36 could provide a uniform way to accurately measure and define substantial reductions in functioning.

Source: Fatigue Biomedicine Health & Behavior

DOI: 10.1080/21641846.2016.1206176