Mental HealthQualityMetric Offers Way To Measure The Impact Of Sleep Problems On Individuals And Groups
There are few things as vital to health and well-being as a good night"s sleep. Yet millions of us -- nearly 50 million according to the National Sleep Foundation -- suffer from chronic sleep problems or disorders. Every year, more and more scientific studies are showing correlations between poor or insufficient sleep and disease. Now there is a simple, easy way to quantify and measure sleep problems with patient populations.
The MOS Sleep Scale was originally developed in the Medical Outcomes Study (MOS), a four-year observational study of the health outcomes for chronically ill patients. The MOS Sleep Scale measures six dimensions of sleep, including initiation, maintenance (e.g. staying asleep), quantity, adequacy, somnolence (e.g. drowsiness), and respiratory impairments (e.g. shortness of breath, snoring). Disturbed sleep has a major impact on quality of life and is often a common symptom of many other chronic conditions, such as chronic pain and mood disorders.
"According to a new study by Marketdata, sleep is a $23.7 billion-a-year industry in the United States," reports Jeff Hallowell, Vice President of Business Development at QualityMetric. "Measuring the impact of sleep problems, as well as demonstrating the effectiveness of products developed to alleviate sleep disorders, can be a very valuable tool for pharmaceutical manufacturers, public health officials, and healthcare providers."
QualityMetric distributes translations of two versions of the MOS Sleep Scale: a 12 question version and a six question version. The 12 question version is available in 85 language translations and the six question version is available in 61 language translations. The forms have a standard four-week recall period. The reliability and validity of the MOS Sleep Scale have been evaluated in a number of disease areas, including neuropathic pain, restless leg syndrome, overactive bladder, and rheumatoid arthritis. It has also been evaluated in the general U.S. population. A recent literature search yielded 80 citations in which the MOS Sleep Scale had been used, including 14 clinical trials.
About QualityMetric Incorporated:
QualityMetric works with the world"s largest healthcare and life sciences companies to measure health outcomes. Our products help market new drugs and biologics, track health improvement or decline, screen populations for disease, and identify future health risks. QualityMetric"s patient-reported outcome(PRO) surveys provide scientifically valid assessments of both physical and mental health. Our PROs include the SF-36v2(R), SF-12v2(R), and SF-8(TM) Health Surveys, SF-10(TM) Health Survey for Children, Asthma Control Test(TM) (ACT(TM)), Pain Impact Questionnaire(TM) (PIQ-6(TM)), and DYNHA(R) Dynamic Health Assessments. Our Outcomes Insight Consulting(TM) Division can develop customized PROs and provide in-depth analysis of the results. QualityMetric"s founder and Chief Science Officer, John E. Ware, Jr., PhD is a thought-leader in the field of psychometrics and health outcome measurement.
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