Evaluation of the SF‑36 questionnaire for assessment of the quality of life of endometriosis patients undergoing treatment: A systematic review and meta‑analysis

Abstract

Endometriosis has a negative influence on the physical, psychological, and social aspects of a patient's life; therefore, it affects the health-related quality of life (HRQoL). The current review aimed to investigate the efficiency of a 36-item generic questionnaire survey (SF-36) for patients with endometriosis who were undergoing medical or surgical treatment. A search strategy including the key words ‘endometriosis’, ‘quality of life’ (QOL), and ‘questionnaire SF-36’ was applied using the PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases in order to include articles that evaluated the QOL among women with endometriosis using the SF-36. Only articles that included interviews of patients both before and after surgical or medical endometriosis treatment or those articles that compared study groups were considered. The qualitative analysis was based on 37 articles, whereas the quantitative analysis utilized 14 articles. The research participants included 11,101 women, among whom 6,888 patients were diagnosed with endometriosis. The analysis recorded 17 studies dealing with all types of endometriosis, 9 studies dealing with deep infiltrative endometriosis (DIE), and 9 studies dealing with bowel endometriosis or DIE with bowel involvement. QOL was evaluated using only SF-36 in 12 studies that collectively included 1,912 women and using SF-36 in association with other questionnaires in 25 studies that collectively included 8,022 women. For patients with endometriosis, physical functioning [odds ratio (OR), 78.87; 95% confidence interval (CI), 68.97-88.77; I 2 =98.77%; P≤0.001] was the most affected life parameter. This parameter showed the highest improvement after surgical intervention (OR, 63.39; 95% CI, 48.71-78.07; I 2 =97.65%; P≤0.001) or hormonal treatment (OR, 38.65; 95% CI, 14.39-62.91; I 2 =38.65%; P≤0.001). The 36-item survey generic questionnaire seems to be an efficient tool for assessment of the QOL of life of women with endometriosis who are undergoing surgical or medical treatment. It can be applied before and after the procedure, and it can also be used for comparing study groups.

Quality of Life in Women after Deep Endometriosis Surgery: Comparison with Spanish Standardized Values

“…With respect to the surgery used to remove colorectal nodules, we did not find significant differences in QoL. In the literature, the association between the technique of nodule resection (shaving, discoid or segmental) and health and mental functions is not clear [ 42 , 43 , 47 ]. Interestingly, in a retrospective Wullschleger’s study performed on 211 women ( Supplementary Table S2 ), although the technique of colorectal surgery was not mentioned, an increase in working performance was shown after endometriosis surgery [ 32 ].…”

Effect of functional relaxation on the quality of life in patients with periprosthetic joint infection: Protocol for a randomised controlled trial

“…Our pilot data showed an improvement within the subscale PCS of 3.4 (SD 15) and within the subscale MCS of 4.6 (SD 10) points. Further, according to literature, a supplementary psychosomatic intervention led to an average effect size of 0.4 across several indications 21–25. Expressed in terms of a mean difference, an effect size of d=0.4 with an estimated SD=15 underlies a mean difference of 6 points.…”

Burden and Disease Characteristics of Psoriatic Arthritis Among King Abdulaziz University Hospital Patients

“…The first section included demographic characteristics and smoking status. The second section included an assessment of the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) [ 7 ], which is a widely used tool for assessing HRQOL in patients with various rheumatic conditions [ 8 , 9 ].…”