@article {236, title = {An item bank was created to improve the measurement of cancer-related fatigue}, journal = {Journal of Clinical Epidemiology}, volume = {58}, number = {2}, year = {2005}, note = {Lai, Jin-SheiCella, DavidDineen, KellyBode, RitaVon Roenn, JamieGershon, Richard CShevrin, DanielEnglandJ Clin Epidemiol. 2005 Feb;58(2):190-7.}, month = {Feb}, pages = {190-7}, type = {Multicenter Study}, edition = {2005/02/01}, abstract = {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.}, keywords = {Adult, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Factor Analysis, Statistical, Fatigue/*etiology/psychology, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Neoplasms/*complications/psychology, Psychometrics, Questionnaires}, isbn = {0895-4356 (Print)0895-4356 (Linking)}, author = {Lai, J-S. and Cella, D. and Dineen, K. and Bode, R. and Von Roenn, J. and Gershon, R. C. and Shevrin, D.} } @article {240, title = {An item response theory-based pain item bank can enhance measurement precision}, journal = {Journal of Pain and Symptom Management}, volume = {30}, number = {3}, year = {2005}, note = {0885-3924Journal Article}, pages = {278-88}, abstract = {Cancer-related pain is often under-recognized and undertreated. This is partly due to the lack of appropriate assessments, which need to be comprehensive and precise yet easily integrated into clinics. Computerized adaptive testing (CAT) can enable precise-yet-brief assessments by only selecting the most informative items from a calibrated item bank. The purpose of this study was to create such a bank. The sample included 400 cancer patients who were asked to complete 61 pain-related items. Data were analyzed using factor analysis and the Rasch model. The final bank consisted of 43 items which satisfied the measurement requirement of factor analysis and the Rasch model, demonstrated high internal consistency and reasonable item-total correlations, and discriminated patients with differing degrees of pain. We conclude that this bank demonstrates good psychometric properties, is sensitive to pain reported by patients, and can be used as the foundation for a CAT pain-testing platform for use in clinical practice.}, keywords = {computerized adaptive testing}, author = {Lai, J-S. and Dineen, K. and Reeve, B. B. and Von Roenn, J. and Shervin, D. and McGuire, M. and Bode, R. K. and Paice, J. and Cella, D.} }