Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2014 Feb;23(1):217-27.
doi: 10.1007/s11136-013-0451-4. Epub 2013 Jul 23.

Difference in method of administration did not significantly impact item response: an IRT-based analysis from the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) initiative

Jakob B Bjorner  1 , Matthias Rose, Barbara Gandek, Arthur A Stone, Doerte U Junghaenel, John E Ware Jr
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Difference in method of administration did not significantly impact item response: an IRT-based analysis from the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) initiative

Jakob B Bjorner et al. Qual Life Res. 2014 Feb.

Abstract

Purpose: To test the impact of method of administration (MOA) on the measurement characteristics of items developed in the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS).

Methods: Two non-overlapping parallel 8-item forms from each of three PROMIS domains (physical function, fatigue, and depression) were completed by 923 adults (age 18-89) with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, depression, or rheumatoid arthritis. In a randomized cross-over design, subjects answered one form by interactive voice response (IVR) technology, paper questionnaire (PQ), personal digital assistant (PDA), or personal computer (PC) on the Internet, and a second form by PC, in the same administration. Structural invariance, equivalence of item responses, and measurement precision were evaluated using confirmatory factor analysis and item response theory methods.

Results: Multigroup confirmatory factor analysis supported equivalence of factor structure across MOA. Analyses by item response theory found no differences in item location parameters and strongly supported the equivalence of scores across MOA.

Conclusions: We found no statistically or clinically significant differences in score levels in IVR, PQ, or PDA administration as compared to PC. Availability of large item response theory-calibrated PROMIS item banks allowed for innovations in study design and analysis.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Study design and sample size. Target sample size = 50 for each group except groups 9 and 10 where target sample size = 100. PC personal computer, IVR interactive voice response, PQ paper questionnaire, PDA personal digital assistant
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Order of Assessments. PC personal computer, IVR interactive voice response, PQ paper questionnaire, PDA personal digital assistant
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Adjusted PROMIS score estimates for different methods of administration. The figure illustrates the adjusted PROMIS scores for a person providing a response combination that would result in a score of 50.0 if provided by PC. The horizontal axis is rescaled to a 50–10 metric to confirm with standard PROMIS reporting. PF physical functioning, FAT fatigue, DEP depression, PC personal computer, IVR interactive voice response, PQ paper questionnaire, PDA personal digital assistant
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Item category response functions for the item Felt nothing could cheer me up using PC or IVR administration. PC personal computer, IVR interactive voice response
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Gwaltney CJ, Shields AL, Shiffman S. Equivalence of electronic and paper-and-pencil administration of patient-reported outcome measures: A meta-analytic review. Value Health. 2008;11(2):322–333. - PubMed
    1. Raat H, Mangunkusumo RT, Landgraf JM, et al. Feasibility, reliability, and validity of adolescent health status measurement by the Child Health Questionnaire Child Form (CHQ-CF): Internet administration compared with the standard paper version. Quality of Life Research. 2007;16(4):675–685. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Yu SC. Comparison of Internet-based and paper-based questionnaires in Taiwan using multisample invariance approach. CyberPsychology & Behavior. 2007;10(4):501–507. - PubMed
    1. Duncan P, Reker D, Kwon S, et al. Measuring stroke impact with the Stroke Impact Scale: Telephone versus mail administration in veterans with stroke. Medical Care. 2005;43(5):507–515. - PubMed
    1. Hepner KA, Brown JA, Hays RD. Comparison of mail and telephone in assessing patient experiences in receiving care from medical group practices. Evaluation and the Health Professions. 2005;28(4):377–389. - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms