No abstract

The objective of this study was to determine whether the Short-form 36 Health Status Questionnaire (SF-36) is suitable for use in an elderly population. The SF-36 was administered by interview to a random sample of 827 adults from West Glamorgan. Among the 216 adults aged 65 and over the data were 98.8% complete. Evidence for a high degree of internal consistency was good with Cronbach's alpha statistic exceeding 0.8 for each parameter. The evidence for construct validity was also good with the SF-36 distinguishing between those with and without markers of poorer health. The SF-36 is suitable for use with an elderly population when used in an interview setting.

These preliminary findings support the need for long term studies of testosterone therapy in older hypogonadal males.

This study shows a relationship between high levels of polypharmacy and hospitalization. Although it cannot be determined from this study whether a higher number of medications was an indicator of sicker patients at risk for hospitalization, or whether a higher number of medications might have directly led to hospitalization, polypharmacy should still be considered a marker for older home care patients for whom prevention of hospitalization is the goal.