Ungar W, Coyte PC, Willison DJ, Levine MA, Poston JW, Gaebel KA, Goldsmith CH, Borden EK, Hu X; International Society of Technology Assessment in Health Care. Meeting.

Annu Meet Int Soc Technol Assess Health Care Int Soc Technol Assess Health Care Meet. 1997; 13: 82.

University of Toronto, Department of Health Administration, Canada.

OBJECTIVE/PURPOSE: Given documented increases in the morbidity and mortality of asthma, it is essential to monitor health outcomes in this patient populaton, including outcomes values in this patient population, including outcomes valued by patients, such as quality-of-life. The purpose of this study was to measure the impact of age, sex and disease severity on quality-of-life in asthma patients. METHODS: The Pharmacy Medication Monitoring Program (PMMP) collects health outcomes data from a target group of patients recruited through community pharmacies. The Bronchial Inhalers program targeted patietns with respiratory conditions and included the SF-36 general health status questionnaire. This standardized insturment consists of eight dimensions, including physical and social functioning, physical and emotional role limitations, mental health, vitality, bodily pain and general perceptions of health. The questionnaire was administered to 971 asthma patients aged 14 years and older during telephone interviews. The scores of 337 males and 634 females were compared using the Mann-Whitney test. One-way analysis of variance was used to test differences in dimension scores between patients aged 14-34 years, 35-54 years, 55-74 years and 75 years and older and between mild, moderate, and severely ill patients. RESULTS: Male scores were higher than female scores in all dimensions, suggesting better quality-of-life in men. Statistically significant differences (p<0.01) were observed for every dimension except bodily pain. The differences in dimension scores between age groups demonstrated statistical significance (p<0.0005) for physical functioning, vitality and mental health. Scores generally decreased with age. All eight dimensions displayed decreasing values with increasing disease severity. Statistically significant differences (p<0.001) between disease severity levels were found for physical functioning, physical role limitations, general health, vitality and social function. CONCLUSIONS: The SF-36 is an easily administered questionnaire that facilitates evaluation of quality-of-life alongside other important health outcomes data collected in prospective epidemiological studies. Use of the SF-36 facilitates comparisons with studies of similar or different patient populations and establishes a benchmark for future evaluations.

Publication Types:

• Meeting Abstracts

Keywords:

• Asthma
• Female
• Humans
• Life
• Male
• Nebulizers and Vaporizers
• Pain
• Pain Clinics
• Prospective Studies
• Quality of Life
• Questionnaires
• Research Design
• hsrmtgs

Other ID:

• HTX/98601548

UI: 102233089

From Meeting Abstracts