Abstract
Aim: The aim of this study was to validate the SF12 questionnaire for use with patients with anterior glenohumeral instability. This was done with a view to replacing the longer parent questionnaire, the SF36 if a comparative level of validity was found with this patient group.
Method: Patients attending the a shoulder clinic with at least one previous, documented episode of anterior glenohumeral joint dislocation were asked to complete the SF12, Oxford Instability, Oxford General Shoulder and SF36 questionnaires recording their level of shoulder function and general health status. Twenty subjects agreed to participate in the study. The results of the four questionnaires were scored according to the instructions issued by their authors, zeroed and converted into percentages to allow them all to be compared on the same scale then they were tabulated for comparison. The score on the questionnaires for each patient and the difference between the scores was calculated and plotted. The mean and standard deviation of the differences was then also plotted to assess the spread of the results (Bland and Altman’s method).
Results: The mean age of the subjects was 33.5 years (range 16 to 75 years). Three subjects were female and seventeen male.
Conclusion: The study suggests that the SF12 is suitable to be used as a replacement for the SF36. It shows a similar correlation with the ‘gold standard’ shoulder specific Oxford Instability score and displays a good correlation with the SF36 compared to the other measures.
The abstracts were prepared by David Stanley. Correspondence should be addressed to him c/o British Orthopaedic Association, Royal College of Surgeons, 35–43 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, London WC2A 3PN.
