Functional Health Status of Persons With Diabetes in a Nurse-Managed Clinic

Abstract

PURPOSE

The purpose of this psychometric analysis was to (1) describe the functional health status of medically underserved persons with diabetes participating in an exercise program; (2) examine the relationships between functional health status scores and physiologic measures for blood pressure, heart rate, and blood glucose levels; and (3) examine the reliability and validity of the Medical Outcomes Study SF-36 survey.

METHODS

Data were collected from 31 men and women receiving diabetes disease management in a community-based nurse-managed clinic. The SF-36 survey was used to measure functional health status. Blood pressure, heart rate, and blood glucose also were measured (pretestlposttest).

RESULTS

The SF-36 survey had good internal consistency in the total sample. Blood pressure and blood glucose levels decreased significantly and heart rate increased significantly from pretest to posttest. Functional health status was negatively associated with physiological parameters.

CONCLUSIONS

Further research is needed on the use of the SF-36 survey in medically underserved persons with diabetes because this instrument lacked construct validity as a measure of functional health status in this population.

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