A cohort study found the RAND-12 and Health Utilities Index Mark 3 demonstrated construct validity in high-risk primary care patients

OBJECTIVE: The Short Form 12 (SF-12) is widely used in primary care settings. The RAND-12 Health Status Inventory (HSI) and the Health Utilities Index Mark 3 (HUI3) have not been as widely used in such settings. The objective of this study was to examine the construct validity of the RAND-12 and HUI3 in the context of high-risk primary care patients. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: The SF-12, HUI2, and HUI3 were administered to a cohort of high-risk primary care patients. RAND-12 summary scores for physical and mental health were generated. Single-attribute utility scores for each dimension of health status and overall health in HUI3 were computed. A priori hypotheses were specified. RESULTS: In general, the relationships among RAND-12 and HUI3 scores were consistent with construct validity. Twelve of 24 a priori predictions were confirmed. However, predictions about the correlations between the number of medical conditions and the number of medications and the measures of health-related quality of life were, in general, not confirmed. CONCLUSIONS: The RAND-12 and HUI3 seem to be useful among primary care patients with diverse chronic conditions. Further investigation is warranted.