Background: The Short-Form 12 (SF-12) and Living With Heart Failure Questionnaire (LHFQ) are commonly used to measure quality of life (QOL) in heart failure outcomes research. Their comparative responsiveness, however, has not been documented.
Methods and results: A prospective cohort study was conducted among patients attending a university-based heart failure clinic between April 1997 and September 1998. All patients received comprehensive heart failure care management. QOL of patients was assessed by the SF-12 and LHFQ at baseline and 3 months. Of 87 patients completing follow-up, the mean change score was 10.1 for the LHFQ and 5.8 for the SF-12 (both Ps < .001). The change scores of the instruments were correlated (r = 0.61; P < .001). The SF-12 had a greater ability than the LHFQ to statistically detect change in physical health but was less sensitive to changes in mental health. The LHFQ performed better than the SF-12 in the ability to distinguish the differences in perceived global health transition.
Conclusion: The LHFQ is more responsive than the SF-12 to changes in QOL. The SF-12 should not be used alone to measure the changes in QOL of patients with heart failure.