scholarly journals The Upper Extremity Functional Index: Reliability and Validity in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Author(s):  
Ali H. Alnahdi ◽  
Ali Albarrati

The aim of the current study was to examine the psychometric properties of the upper extremity functional index (UEFI) in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Seventy patients with stable COPD completed the UEFI and St. George Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) and performed lung function tests in the first testing session. They completed the UEFI and the Global Rating of Change Scale in the second session, which was within ten days of the first session. The UEFI floor and ceiling effects, internal consistency, test–retest reliability, measurement error, and construct validity were examined. The UEFI was found to have no floor and ceiling effects. The UEFI was also found to have an excellent internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.955) and an excellent test–retest reliability (ICC2,1 = 0.91). Totals of 4.85 points and 11.32 points represent the scale’s standard error of measurement, and a minimal detectable change at 90% confidence was used. The UEFI scores showed a significant correlation with the SGRQ activity domain (r = −0.66, p < 0.001) and differed significantly between participants with severe disease and those with mild disease (p = 0.03). The UEFI had no floor or ceiling issues, an excellent internal consistency, a good test–retest reliability, and an acceptable measurement error. The UEFI also demonstrated evidence supporting its construct validity as a measure of upper extremity-related activity limitations in patients with COPD.

2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (07) ◽  
pp. 609-625 ◽  
Author(s):  
Navshika Chandra ◽  
Kevin Chang ◽  
Arier Lee ◽  
Giriraj S. Shekhawat ◽  
Grant D. Searchfield

AbstractThe effects of treatments on tinnitus have been difficult to quantify. The Tinnitus Functional Index (TFI) has been proposed as a standard questionnaire for measurement of tinnitus treatment outcomes. For a questionnaire to achieve wide acceptance, its psychometric properties need to be confirmed in different populations.To determine if the TFI is a reliable and valid measure of tinnitus, and if its psychometric properties are suitable for use as an outcome measure.A psychometric evaluation of the TFI from secondary data obtained from a cross-sectional clinic survey and a clinical trial undertaken in New Zealand.Confirmatory factor analysis and evaluation of internal consistency reliability were undertaken on a sample of 318 patients with the primary complaint of tinnitus. In a separate sample of 40 research volunteers, test–retest reliability, convergent and divergent validity were evaluated. Both samples consisted of predominantly older Caucasian male patients with tinnitus.The internal structure of the original US TFI was confirmed. The Cronbach’s Alpha and Intraclass correlation coefficients were >0.7 for the TFI overall and each of its subscales, indicating high internal consistency and test–retest reliability. Strong Pearson correlations with the Tinnitus Handicap Questionnaire and tinnitus numerical rating scales indicated excellent convergent validity, and a moderate correlation with the Hearing Handicap Inventory, indicated moderate divergent validity. Evaluation of the clinical trial showed good test–retest reliability and agreement between no-treatment baselines with a smallest detectable change of 4.8 points.The TFI is a reliable and valid measure of tinnitus severity in the population tested and is responsive to treatment-related change. Further research as to the TFI’s responsiveness to treatment is needed across different populations.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Justin Mason ◽  
Sherrilene Classen ◽  
James Wersal ◽  
Virginia Sisiopiku

Fully automated vehicles (AVs) hold promise toward providing numerous societal benefits including reducing road fatalities. However, we are uncertain about how individuals’ perceptions will influence their ability to accept and adopt AVs. The 28-item Automated Vehicle User Perception Survey (AVUPS) is a visual analog scale that was previously constructed, with established face and content validity, to assess individuals’ perceptions of AVs. In this study, we examined construct validity, via exploratory factor analysis and subsequent Mokken scale analyses. Next, internal consistency was assessed via Cronbach’s alpha (α) and 2-week test–retest reliability was assessed via Spearman’s rho (ρ) and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). The Mokken scale analyses resulted in a refined 20-item AVUPS and three Mokken subscales assessing specific domains of adults’ perceptions of AVs: (a) Intention to use; (b) perceived barriers; and (c) well-being. The Mokken scale analysis showed that all item-coefficients of homogeneity (H) exceeded 0.3, indicating that the items reflect a single latent variable. The AVUPS indicated a strong Mokken scale (Hscale = 0.51) with excellent internal consistency (α = 0.95) and test–retest reliability (ρ = 0.76, ICC = 0.95). Similarly, the three Mokken subscales ranged from moderate to strong (range Hscale = 0.47–0.66) and had excellent internal consistency (range α = 0.84–0.94) and test–retest reliability (range ICC = 0.84–0.93). The AVUPS and three Mokken subscales of AV acceptance were validated in a moderate sample size (N = 312) of adults living in the United States. Two-week test–retest reliability was established using a subset of Amazon Mechanical Turk participants (N = 84). The AVUPS, or any combination of the three subscales, can be used to validly and reliably assess adults’ perceptions before and after being exposed to AVs. The AVUPS can be used to quantify adults’ acceptance of fully AVs.


2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. e19126-e19126
Author(s):  
Wee-Kheng Soo ◽  
Madeleine King ◽  
Alun Pope ◽  
Christopher B. Steer ◽  
Bianca Alix Devitt ◽  
...  

e19126 Background: Functional assessment of oncology patients can be challenging and is often not performed, or is undertaken by the clinician with minimal direct input from the patient. The ELderly Functional Index (ELFI) is a 12-item composite measure of self-reported functioning in cancer patients. ELFI is derived from four scales from the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) health-related quality of life (HRQOL) suite: Physical, Role and Social Functioning, and Mobility. This study validated ELFI in patients attending oncology clinics. Methods: For evaluation of validity and internal consistency, 621 cancer patients (31% aged >70 years) fully self-completed the ELFI, cognitive functioning (CF) and emotional functioning (EF) scales of the EORTC QLQ-C30, ECOG-performance status (ECOG-PS), instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) and Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS). For evaluation of test-retest reliability, 278 participants self-completed ELFI, CF, EF, ECOG-PS and Global Rating of Change one week later. Results: ELFI demonstrated excellent internal consistency (Cronbach alpha 0.93, p< 0.001) and test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient 0.90, p< 0.001). Hypotheses regarding convergent and discriminant validity were confirmed (multitrait-scaling). ELFI was better than its component scales and other function measures at differentiating between participants with different function and frailty scores (known-groups validity, Table). Exploratory factor analysis provided empirical support to the structural validity of ELFI. Strong correlation was observed between ELFI, function and frailty scores. Conclusions: ELFI is a validated patient-reported outcome measure of functional status. ELFI captures broader dimensions of functioning compared to ECOG-PS or IADL. As a composite measure, ELFI has enhanced statistical efficiency, reducing the sample size required to detect a given effect. ELFI could be used as a clinical trial endpoint to assess the functional domains of HRQOL. [Table: see text]


2012 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 62 ◽  
Author(s):  
Libby Holden ◽  
Susan Pager ◽  
Xanthe Golenko ◽  
Robert S. Ware

Research capacity building (RCB) in Australia has recently focussed on strategies that take a whole of system approach to developing research culture at individual, team and organisation levels. Although a theoretical framework exists, no tool has been published that quantitatively measures the effectiveness of RCB interventions aimed at these three levels. A sample of 134 allied health workers was used to validate the research capacity and culture (RCC) tool. Item level analysis was undertaken using Cronbach’s α and exploratory factor analysis, and test–retest reliability was examined using intra-class correlations (ICC). The tool had one factor emerge for each domain, with excellent internal consistency for organisation, team and individual domains (α = 0.95, 0.96 and 0.96 respectively; and factor loadings ranges of 0.58–0.89, 0.65–0.89 and 0.59–0.93 respectively). The overall mean score (total) for each domain was: 5.4 (inter-quartile range 3.9–7.7), 4.4 (IQR 2.6–6.1) and 3.9 (IQR 2.9–6) for the organisation, team and individual domains respectively. Test–retest reliability was strong for each domain: organisation ICC = 0.77, team ICC = 0.83 and individual ICC = 0.82. The RCC tool has three domains measuring research capacity and culture at organisation, team and individual levels. It demonstrates excellent internal consistency and strong test–retest reliability.


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