Abstract
Assessment of individual patients' distress is a cornerstone of clinical care for advanced cancer. Patients' ability to fill out lengthy questionnaires is compromised by many factors. Computer-adaptive tests (CAT) offer a promising approach to developing tailored instruments, that administer only items relevant to the individual patient. A systematic review of the literature about CATs in medical databases was conducted. Based on the results, a method for developing a CAT was designed that requires nine steps: (1) build an item pool; (2) administer the items to a predefined sample in a calibration study; (3) eliminate inappropriate items; (4) examine whether all items are influenced by a single dominant trait; (5) calibrate the items to the best-fitting item response theory (IRT) model; (6) evaluate items' parameter equivalence across subgroups; (7) build an item bank with the calibrated items; (8) develop the CAT; and (9) pilot test the developed CAT. CAT offers the chance to extend the usefulness of patient-reported outcome (PRO) measurements from clinical studies to daily clinical practice.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 47-67 |
Number of pages | 21 |
Journal | Critical Reviews in Oncology/Hematology |
Volume | 73 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Jan 2010 |
Keywords
- Calibration
- Data Interpretation, Statistical
- Diagnosis, Computer-Assisted
- Humans
- Outcome Assessment (Health Care)
- Patient Participation
- Software
- Journal Article
- Meta-Analysis
- Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
- Review