Applying Item Response Theory to Develop and Improve Patient-Reported Outcome Measures

• Activity Number: 457
• Type: Roundtables
• Date/Time: Wednesday, August 12, 2015 : 7:00 AM to 8:15 AM
• Sponsor: Mental Health Statistics Section
• Author(s): Lan Yu*
• Companies: University of Pittsburgh
• Keywords: Patient-reported outcomes ; item response theory ; PROMIS

Abstract

Patient-reported outcome is the term used to denote health data provided by the patient through a system of reporting, without interpretation of the patient's response by a clinician or anyone else. There is a great need in health outcomes research to develop patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) that accurately measure a patient's health status with minimal response burden. This need for psychometrically sound and clinically meaningful measures calls for better analytical tools beyond the methods available from classical test theory. Applications of item response theory (IRT) modeling in developing PROMs have increased significantly because of its utility for item bank development and validation, assessment of measurement equivalence, instrument linking, and computerized adaptive testing. I will give a brief overview of IRT methodology in developing PROMs, using the NIH Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Sleep Disturbance item bank development as an example. Discussion among roundtable participants on new IRT applications to improve PROMs is most welcome.