Comparison of SF-36 and WHOQOL-100 in patients with stroke.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Two widely used evaluation tools for the quality of life are the 36-item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) and World Health Organization Quality of Life Assessment (100-item version) (WHOQOL-100), however, these tools have not been compared for patients with stroke to date. The specific objectives of this study were: 1) to study the effect of stroke on quality of life (QOL) as measured by the SF-36 and by the WHOQOL-100, and 2) to compare these two instruments. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: Seventy patients who were admitted to the neurology clinic six months after stroke were included in this study. PATIENTS AND METHODS: As a data-collecting device, the SF-36 and WHOQOL-100 scales were used. An additional questionnaire was administered to obtain demographic data. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Pearson correlation analysis was performed and Blant-Altman Plots were used. Psychometric analysis was performed. RESULTS: In stroke, the most flustered domains of quality of life were vitality and general health perception fields in the SF-36 and in the WHOQL-100, independence level field, overall QOL and general health perceptions. While there was a fair degree of relationship (r= 0.25-0.50) between general health perceptions, physical, social and mental fields that were similar fields of scales, a fair and moderate to good relationship was found between different fields. Limits of agreement in similar domains of the two instruments were very large. In all four demonstrated Bland-Altman plots, there was agreement of the scales in the measurements of similar fields of quality of life. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that both the SF-36 and WHOQOL-100 quality of life scales are useful in the practical evaluation of patients with stroke.

Is the quality of life different in patients with active and inactive tuberculosis?

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the quality of life (QOL) in outpatients with active and inactive tuberculosis, and to study the relations between QOL and demographic and socio-cultural chracteristics and variables concerning the disease and depression. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Included in the present study were 196 active and 108 inactive cases who attended Dispensary for Tuberculosis within a one year period, plus 196 healthy controls. In this study, questionnaire form, SF 36 quality of life scale and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) were used. RESULTS: It was determined that in all fields of QOL, scores of the control group were higher than those of the patient groups. QOL scores in physical and social functionality dimensions of inactive cases were higher than in active cases (p < 0.001 ). As BDI scores increased in active and inactive cases, physical component summary (PCS) and mental component summary (MCS) decreased. As the treatment period increased in active cases, MCS increased. In active and inactive cases, marital status and accompanying diseases have an effect on the decrease of PCS scores (p < 0.05). In patients with tuberculosis, the QOL of men, single, patients with a high level of education and those not having a disease that accompanies tuberculosis were found to be high (p < 0.05). The QOL was negatively correlated with age and BDI, while being positively correlated with monthly income, daily sleep period and treatment period (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: It is stated that in inactive tuberculosis cases, as in active cases, QOL is deformed and demographic-socio cultural chracteristics, depression, daily sleep period, treatment period and accompanying diseases are factors that affect quality of life.