Self-rated and physician-rated health associated with mortality
Self-rated health was strongly related to all-cause mortality after 5 and 15 years of follow-up. Physician-rated health was an independent predictor of 15-year all-cause mortality. Self-rated health predicted cancer mortality and physician-rated health predicted cardiovascular mortality. Self-rated health provided information beyond physician-rated health and may help clinicians to optimize the decision-making surrounding treatment, hospital referral and follow-up visits to achieve “patient-centered care”.
Measuring self-rated and physician-rated health
Self-rated health has been identified by the American Institute of Medicine as one of the 20 key indicators valuable in measuring the health of populations. In 1985, self-rated health was measured on a four-point scale in the Zutphen Elderly Study. Physician-rated health was evaluated with a five-point scale.