Measuring patient perceptions about osteoporosis pharmacotherapy

Abstract Background Adherence to osteoporosis pharmacotherapy is poor, and linked with patient perceptions of the benefits of, and barriers to taking these treatments. To better understand the association between patient perceptions and osteoporosis pharmacotherapy, we generated thirteen items that may tap into patient perceptions about the benefits of, and barriers to osteoporosis treatment; and included these items as part of a standardized telephone interview of women aged 65–90 years (n = 871). The purpose of this paper is to report the psychometric evaluation of our scale. Findings Upon detailed analysis, six of the thirteen items were omitted: four redundant, one did not correlate well with any other item and one factorial complex. From the remaining seven items, two distinct unidimensional domains emerged (variance explained = 78%). Internal consistency of the 5-item osteoporosis drug treatment benefits domain was good (Cronbach's alpha = 0.88), and was supported by construct validity; women reporting a physician-diagnosis or taking osteoporosis pharmacotherapy had higher osteoporosis treatment benefit scores compared to those reporting no osteoporosis diagnosis or treatment respectively. Because only two items were identified as tapping into treatment barriers, we recommend they each be used as a separate item assessing potential barriers to adherence to osteoporosis pharmacotherapy, rather than combined into a single scale. Conclusion The 5-item osteoporosis drug treatment benefits scale may be useful to examine perceptions about the benefits of osteoporosis pharmacotherapy. Further research is needed to develop scales that adequately measure perceived barriers to osteoporosis pharmacotherapy

Psychometric testing of the British‐English long‐term conditions job strain scale, long‐term conditions work spillover scale and work‐health‐personal life perceptions Scale in four rheumatic and musculoskeletal conditions

Objective: The aims were to validate linguistically British‐English versions of the Long‐Term Conditions Job Strain Scale (LTCJSS), Long‐Term Conditions Work Spillover Scale (LTCWSS) and Work‐Health‐Personal Life Perceptions Scale (WHPLPS) in rheumatoid arthritis, axial spondyloarthritis, osteoarthritis and fibromyalgia (FM). Methods: The three scales were forward translated and reviewed by an expert panel prior to cognitive debriefing interviews. Participants completed a postal questionnaire. Construct validity was assessed using Rasch analysis. Concurrent validity included testing between the three scales and work (e.g., Workplace Activity Limitations Scale [WALS]) and condition‐specific health scales. Two weeks later, participants were mailed a second questionnaire to measure test‐retest reliability. Results: The questionnaire was completed by 831 employed participants: 68% women, 53.5 (SD 8.9) years of age, with condition duration 7.7 (SD 8.0) years. The LTCJSS, LTCWSS and WHPLPS Parts 1 and 2 satisfied Rasch model requirements, but Part 3 did not. A Rasch transformation scale and Reference Metric equating scales with the WALS were created. Concurrent validity was generally good (r s = 0.41–0.85) for the three scales, except the WHPLPS Part 3. Internal consistency (Person Separation Index values) was consistent with group use in all conditions, and individual use except for the LTCWSS and WHPLSP Parts 1 and 2 in FM. Test‐retest reliability was excellent, with intraclass coefficients (2,1) of 0.80–0.96 for the three scales in the four conditions. Discussion: Reliable, valid versions of the British‐English LTCJSS, LTCWSS and WHPLPS Parts 1 and 2 are now available for use in the UK

Psychometric testing of the British‐English Perceived Workplace Support Scale, Work Accommodations, Benefits, Policies and Practices Scale, and Work Transitions Index in four rheumatic and musculoskeletal conditions

Objective: The aims were to validate linguistically British‐English versions of the Perceived Workplace Support Scale (PWSS), Work Accommodations, Benefits, Policies and Practices Scale (WABPPS), and Work Transitions Index (WTI) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA), osteoarthritis (OA) and fibromyalgia (FM). Methods: The three scales were adapted into British‐English and reviewed by an expert panel prior to cognitive debriefing interviews. Participants completed postal questionnaires. Construct validity for the PWSS was assessed using Rasch analysis. Concurrent validity included testing between the three scales and work, job strain and work‐life balance scales. Two weeks later, participants were mailed a second questionnaire to measure test‐retest reliability. Results: The questionnaire was completed by 831 employed participants: 68% women, 53.50 (SD 8.9) years of age, with condition duration 7.70 (SD 8.00) years. The PWSS satisfied Rasch model requirements. Concurrent validity was mostly as hypothesised, that is, weak to moderate negative correlations for the PWSS (rs = 0.07 to −0.61), and weak to moderate positive correlations for the WABPPS and WTI (rs = 0.20–0.52). Some correlations were stronger, mostly in axSpA. Internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) for all three scales was consistent with group use in all conditions. Test‐retest reliability was generally excellent, with intraclass coefficients (2,1) of 0.80–0.93 for the three scales in the four conditions. Discussion: Reliable, valid versions of the British‐English PWSS, WABPPS, and WTI are now available for use in research, organisational level studies and vocational rehabilitation

Psychometric testing of the British‐English Long‐Term Conditions Job Strain Scale, Long‐Term Conditions Work Spillover Scale and Work‐Health‐Personal Life Perceptions Scale in four rheumatic and musculoskeletal conditions

Objective: The aims were to validate linguistically British-English versions of the Long-Term Conditions Job Strain Scale (LTCJSS), Long-Term Conditions Work Spillover Scale (LTCWSS) and Work-Health-Personal Life Perceptions Scale (WHPLPS) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA), osteoarthritis (OA) and fibromyalgia (FM). Methods: The three scales were forward translated and reviewed by an expert panel prior to cognitive debriefing interviews. Participants completed a postal questionnaire. Construct validity was assessed using Rasch analysis. Concurrent validity included testing between the three scales and work (e.g., Workplace Activity Limitations Scale (WALS)) and condition-specific health scales. Two weeks later, participants were mailed a second questionnaire to measure test-retest reliability. Results: The questionnaire was completed by 831 employed participants: 68% women; 53.5 (SD 8.9) years of age; with condition duration 7.7 (SD 8.0) years. The LTCJSS, LTCWSS and WHPLPS Parts 1 and 2 satisfied Rasch model requirements, but Part 3 did not. A Rasch transformation scale, and a Reference Metric equating scales with the WALS, were created. Concurrent validity was generally good (rs =0.41-0.85) for the three scales, except the WHPLPS Part 3. Internal consistency (Person Separation Index values) was consistent with group use in all conditions, and individual use except for the LTCWSS and WHPLSP Parts 1 and 2 in FM. Test-retest reliability was excellent, with intraclass coefficients (2,1) of 0.80 – 0.96 for the three scales in the four conditions. Discussion: Reliable, valid versions of the British-English LTCJSS, LTCWSS and WHPLPS Parts 1 and 2 are now available for use in the UK

Predictors of locating women six to eight years after contact: internet resources at recruitment may help to improve response rates in longitudinal research

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The ability to locate those sampled has important implications for response rates and thus the success of survey research. The purpose of this study was to examine predictors of locating women requiring tracing using publicly available methods (primarily Internet searches), and to determine the additional benefit of vital statistics linkages.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Random samples of women aged 65–89 years residing in two regions of Ontario, Canada were selected from a list of those who completed a questionnaire between 1995 and 1997 (n = 1,500). A random sample of 507 of these women had been searched on the Internet as part of a feasibility pilot in 2001. All 1,500 women sampled were mailed a newsletter and information letter prior to recruitment by telephone in 2003 and 2004. Those with returned mail or incorrect telephone number(s) required tracing. Predictors of locating women were examined using logistic regression.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Tracing was required for 372 (25%) of the women sampled, and of these, 181 (49%) were located. Predictors of locating women were: younger age, residing in less densely populated areas, having had a web-search completed in 2001, and listed name identified on the Internet prior to recruitment in 2003. Although vital statistics linkages to death records subsequently identified 41 subjects, these data were incomplete.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Prospective studies may benefit from using Internet resources at recruitment to determine the listed names for telephone numbers thereby facilitating follow-up tracing and improving response rates. Although vital statistics linkages may help to identify deceased individuals, these may be best suited for post hoc response rate adjustment.</p

The World Federation of ADHD International Consensus Statement:208 Evidence-based conclusions about the disorder

Background: Misconceptions about ADHD stigmatize affected people, reduce credibility of providers, and prevent/delay treatment. To challenge misconceptions, we curated findings with strong evidence base. Methods: We reviewed studies with more than 2000 participants or meta-analyses from five or more studies or 2000 or more participants. We excluded meta-analyses that did not assess publication bias, except for meta-analyses of prevalence. For network meta-analyses we required comparison adjusted funnel plots. We excluded treatment studies with waiting-list or treatment as usual controls. From this literature, we extracted evidence-based assertions about the disorder. Results: We generated 208 empirically supported statements about ADHD. The status of the included statements as empirically supported is approved by 80 authors from 27 countries and 6 continents. The contents of the manuscript are endorsed by 366 people who have read this document and agree with its contents. Conclusions: Many findings in ADHD are supported by meta-analysis. These allow for firm statements about the nature, course, outcome causes, and treatments for disorders that are useful for reducing misconceptions and stigma.</p

Considerations for evaluating and recommending worker productivity outcome measures: An update from the OMERACT worker productivity group

Objective. The Outcome Measures in Rheumatology (OMERACT) Worker Productivity Group continues efforts to assess psychometric properties of measures of presenteeism. Methods. Psychometric properties of single-item and dual answer multiitem scales were assessed, as well as methods to evaluate thresholds of meaning. Results. Test-retest reliability and construct validity of single item global measures was moderate to good. The value of measuring both degree of difficulty and amount of time with difficulty in multi-items questionnaires was confirmed. Thresholds of meaning vary depending on methods and external anchors applied. Conclusion. We have advanced our understanding of the performance of presenteeism measures and have developed approaches to describing thresholds of meaning