Short Form 12 (SF-12)

The SF-12 is a general health questionnaire that consists of 12 questions which investigates the patient’s state of health via 8 different dimensions:

1. General health perception – 1 question

2. Physical health – 2 questions

3. Limited physical role function – 2 questions

4. Physical pain – 1 question

5. Vitality – 1 question

6. Mental health – 2 questions

7. Limited emotional role function – 2 questions

8. Social functioning – 1 question

It should be noted that there have been 2 versions of the Short Form 12 questionnaire, SF-12v1 and SF-12v2.

Currently, only the SF-12v2, the newer version, is officially available.

The biggest advantage of the SF-12 compared to its original questionnaire, the SF-36, is its length. It has been shortened by 66.7%, retaining the majority of validity as its predecessor.^1-3 Thus, it is much easier to implement in clinical research and patient care, as patients require approximately 2.5 minutes to answer it.⁴

Furthermore, the SF-12 has been validated in numerous studies and is an established score.^2,3,5-11

Since the SF-12 is only a short version of the SF-36, it is not able to replicate the exact same validity of the SF-36. Furthermore, the statistical standard error of the SF-12 is larger.¹

A licence is required for the use and evaluation of the SF-12. The owners of the rights do not make any published statements on whether the licence is associated with costs.¹²

However, costs should be anticipated for its use. Our PRO-consultants are more than happy to provide detailed Information.

All in all, the SF-12 represents a good compromise between a reduction in patient effort or time expenditure and a high informative value. The SF-12 is therefore more suitable for everyday clinical use than for clinical studies, in which a sustained engagement plays a major role.