Objectives

• List the pros and cons of using an existing instrument/survey.
• List the pros and cons of developing a new instrument/survey.
• Appraise the strength of evidence for the reliability and/or validity of an instrument.
• Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of commonly used survey item types and response options.

Topics

• What do you want to measure (or who)?
• Reasons for using an instrument/assessment/survey (e.g., discriminative, predictive, evaluative).
• The pros and cons of using an existing instrument, revising and existing instrument, or developing your own.
• Instrument development
  • Item construction
  • Number of items
  • Item response options
  • Delivery mode (e.g., paper and pencil vs. online) 
• Evaluating the psychometric properties of the instrument used (e.g., reliability, validity)
  • Identifying sources of variation
  • Identifying potential sources of error
  • Multiple types of validity (e.g., content, criterion, construct, convergent/discriminant)

Presenter

Michelle Mengeling, PhD, MS
Associate Research Scientist, University of Iowa College of Medicine and Affiliate Investigator with the Center for Comprehensive Access and Delivery Research and Evaluation (CADRE) and the VA Office of Rural Health (ORH), Iowa City VA Health Care System

• PhD, University of Iowa
• MS, University of Iowa

Michelle Mengeling, PhD, is an Affiliate Investigator with the Center for Comprehensive Access & Delivery Research and Evaluation (CADRE) and the VA Office of Rural Health (ORH), Veterans Rural Health Resource Center-Central Region (VRHRC-CR); and an Associate Research Scientist, University of Iowa College of Medicine. Her areas of expertise include survey development, measurement, and statistics. Her primary research interests are access to care, women’s health and measurement.

Examples of Dr. Mengeling’s access to care research include studies examining rural veterans use of and drive times to nearest VA Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs), identifying women veterans’ health care preferences and perceptions associated with sole or dual VA health care use, promoting access to home-based colorectal cancer screening in a primarily rural veteran population overdue for screening, and servicewomen’s receipt of medical and mental health care following sexual assault in-military. At the 2012 Academy Health Gender and Health Interest Group Meeting, Dr. Mengeling received the Carol Weisman & Gary Chase Gender-Based Research Award for Best Abstract for a study investigating the associations among sexual assault in-military, reporting, and receipt of health care.

Dr. Mengeling indicated she has no financial relationships to disclose relevant to the content of this CME activity.

Educational Grants

No commercial interest provided financial support for this continuing education activity.

Continuing Education Credit

• DPM: Des Moines University (DMU) is approved by the Council on Podiatric Medical Education as a provider of continuing education in podiatric medicine. DMU has approved this live activity for a maximum of 2.0 continuing education contact hour(s).
• MD: This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation requirements and policies of the Iowa Medical Society (IMS). Des Moines University (DMU) is accredited by the IMS to provide continuing medical education for physicians.DMU designates this live activity for 2.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
• DO: Des Moines University (DMU) is accredited by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) and approves this live activity for 2.0 AOA Category 2-A CME credit(s).
• ​Other: This live activity is designated for 2.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™.