Comparative responsiveness of generic and specific quality-of-life instruments
Abstract
We assessed the relative responsiveness of generic and specific quality of life instruments in 43 randomized controlled trials that compared head-to-head 31 generic and 84 specific instruments. Using weighted effect size as the metric of responsiveness, we assessed the impact of instrument type, disease category, and magnitude of underlying therapeutic effect on responsiveness, and assessed the responsiveness of specific instruments relative to the corresponding domains of generic measures. In studies with a nonzero therapeutic effect, specific instruments (mean = 0.57) were significantly more responsive than generic instruments (mean = 0.39, P =.01), and than the corresponding domains of generic instruments (mean = 0.40, P =.03). Studies with low, medium, and high therapeutic effects showed a corresponding gradation in responsiveness differences between specific and generic instruments. We conclude that, overall, specific instruments are more responsive than generic tools, and that investigators may come to misleading conclusions about relative instrument responsiveness if they include studies in which the magnitude of the underlying therapeutic effect is zero.
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In our study, we used the generic SF-36, which is considered less responsive in comparison to specific tools.
“In our study, we used the generic SF-36, which is considered less responsive in comparison to specific tools.63”
From Physiotherapy Education and Breathing Retraining for Patients With Hyperventilation Syndrome: An Observational Study (2026) · cites this paper as [63]
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- Authors
- Wiebe, S., Guyatt, G., Weaver, B., Matijevic, S., & Sidwell, C.
- Affiliations
- Western University (CA)
- McMaster University (CA)
- London Health Sciences Centre (CA)
- Corresponding author
- Wiebe, Samuel
- Venue
- Journal of Clinical Epidemiology
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2003-01
- Volume
- 56
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 52-60
- ISSN
- 0895-4356 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2087259067
- Cited by
- 573
- References
- 3
- Citations by year
- 2026: 16 · 2025: 21 · 2024: 31 · 2023: 21 · 2022: 28 · 2021: 29 · 2020: 25 · 2019: 28 · 2018: 25 · 2017: 37 · 2016: 31 · 2015: 31 · 2014: 28 · 2013: 36 · 2012: 30
- FWCI
- 40.87
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Clinical Epidemiology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Economics, Econometrics and Finance › Economics and Econometrics › Health Systems, Economic Evaluations, Quality of Life
- Physical Sciences › Mathematics › Statistics and Probability › Statistical Methods in Clinical Trials
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Delphi Technique in Research
- Keywords
- quality of life instruments, responsiveness, disease-specific quality of life measures, therapeutic effects, instrument comparison, randomized controlled trials
- MeSH terms
- Health Status Indicators, Humans, Quality of Life, Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic, Sample Size
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