Developing item response theory-based short forms to measure the social impact of burn injuries

Model System:

Burn

Reference Type:

Journal article

Accession No.:

J79026

Journal:

Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

Year, Volume, Issue, Page(s):

2018 , 99, 3, 521-528

Publication Website:

Abstract:

Article describes the development and evaluation of short forms for the Life Impact Burn Recovery Evaluation (LIBRE) Profile, a new self-reported measure of social participation for burn survivors developed for administration through computerized adaptive testing. The LIBRE Profile-Short Forms were developed using the data from the same sample of 601 burn survivors who provided the information for the development of the initial LIBRE Profile. Item response theory methods were used to select questions for short forms based on high item discrimination, large score range coverage, matching between the item score range and the sample distribution, and a distribution of average item difficulty across the continuum of a scale. Six 10-item short forms were developed to cover the 6 LIBRE Profile scales: (1) Relationships with Family and Friends, (2) Social Interactions, (3) Social Activities, (4) Work and Employment, (5) Romantic Relationships, and (6) Sexual Relationships. Ceiling effects were ≤15 percent for all scales; floor effects were <1 percent for all scales. The marginal reliability of the short forms ranged from .85 to .89. The LIBRE Profile-Short Forms demonstrated credible psychometric properties. The short-form version provides a viable alternative to administering the LIBRE Profile when resources do not allow computer or Internet access. The full item bank, computerized adaptive test, and short forms are all scored along the same metric, and therefore scores are comparable regardless of the mode of administration.

Author(s):