OBJECTIVE: Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is one of the most common unrelieved symptoms experienced by patients. CRF is underrecognized and undertreated due to a lack of clinically sensitive instruments that integrate easily into clinics. Modern computerized adaptive testing (CAT) can overcome these obstacles by enabling precise assessment of fatigue without requiring the administration of a large number of questions. A working item bank is essential for development of a CAT platform. The present report describes the building of an operational item bank for use in clinical settings with the ultimate goal of improving CRF identification and treatment. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: The sample included 301 cancer patients. Psychometric properties of items were examined by using Rasch analysis, an Item Response Theory (IRT) model. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The final bank includes 72 items. These 72 unidimensional items explained 57.5% of the variance, based on factor analysis results. Excellent internal consistency (alpha=0.99) and acceptable item-total correlation were found (range: 0.51-0.85). The 72 items covered a reasonable range of the fatigue continuum. No significant ceiling effects, floor effects, or gaps were found. A sample short form was created for demonstration purposes. The resulting bank is amenable to the development of a CAT platform.
OBJECTIVE:Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is one of the most common unrelieved symptoms experienced by patients. CRF is underrecognized and undertreated due to a lack of clinically sensitive instruments that integrate easily into clinics. Modern computerized adaptive testing (CAT) can overcome these obstacles by enabling precise assessment of fatigue without requiring the administration of a large number of questions. A working item bank is essential for development of a CAT platform. The present report describes the building of an operational item bank for use in clinical settings with the ultimate goal of improving CRF identification and treatment. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: The sample included 301 cancerpatients. Psychometric properties of items were examined by using Rasch analysis, an Item Response Theory (IRT) model. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The final bank includes 72 items. These 72 unidimensional items explained 57.5% of the variance, based on factor analysis results. Excellent internal consistency (alpha=0.99) and acceptable item-total correlation were found (range: 0.51-0.85). The 72 items covered a reasonable range of the fatigue continuum. No significant ceiling effects, floor effects, or gaps were found. A sample short form was created for demonstration purposes. The resulting bank is amenable to the development of a CAT platform.
Authors: Andrea M Barsevick; Charles S Cleeland; Donald C Manning; Ann M O'Mara; Bryce B Reeve; Jane A Scott; Jeff A Sloan Journal: J Pain Symptom Manage Date: 2010-06 Impact factor: 3.612
Authors: Jin-Shei Lai; David Cella; Seung Choi; Doerte U Junghaenel; Christopher Christodoulou; Richard Gershon; Arthur Stone Journal: Arch Phys Med Rehabil Date: 2011-10 Impact factor: 3.966
Authors: Zeeshan Butt; Jin-Shei Lai; Deepa Rao; Allen W Heinemann; Alex Bill; David Cella Journal: J Psychosom Res Date: 2012-11-15 Impact factor: 3.006
Authors: Stephen M Haley; Pengsheng Ni; Alan M Jette; Wei Tao; Richard Moed; Doug Meyers; Larry H Ludlow Journal: Qual Life Res Date: 2009-03-14 Impact factor: 4.147
Authors: Morten Aa Petersen; Johannes M Giesinger; Bernhard Holzner; Juan I Arraras; Thierry Conroy; Eva-Maria Gamper; Madeleine T King; Irma M Verdonck-de Leeuw; Teresa Young; Mogens Groenvold Journal: Qual Life Res Date: 2013-02-28 Impact factor: 4.147