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

OBJECTIVE

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.

DESIGN

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.

RESULTS

The authors produced acceptable versions of the SF-36 in Canadian French and English.

CONCLUSIONS

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.