03045nas a2200241   4500008004100000020004100041245017000082210007100252250001500323300001000338490000700348520214300355653001402498653006602512653001102578653001302589100001402602700001202616700001402628700001502642700001702657856012902674       2010                        spa d  a0214-9915 (Print)0214-9915 (Linking)00aDeterioro de parámetros de los ítems en tests adaptativos informatizados: estudio con eCAT [Item parameter drift in computerized adaptive testing: Study with eCAT]0 aDeterioro de parámetros de los ítems en tests adaptativos inform  a2010/04/29  a340-70 v223 a<p>En el presente trabajo se muestra el an&aacute;lisis realizado sobre un Test Adaptativo Informatizado (TAI) dise&ntilde;ado para la evaluaci&oacute;n del nivel de ingl&eacute;s, denominado eCAT, con el objetivo de estudiar el deterioro de par&aacute;metros (parameter drift) producido desde la calibraci&oacute;n inicial del banco de &iacute;tems. Se ha comparado la calibraci&oacute;n original desarrollada para la puesta en servicio del TAI (N= 3224) y la calibraci&oacute;n actual obtenida con las aplicaciones reales del TAI (N= 7254). Se ha analizado el Funcionamiento Diferencial de los &Iacute;tems (FDI) en funci&oacute;n de los par&aacute;metros utilizados y se ha simulado el impacto que sobre el nivel de rasgo estimado tiene la variaci&oacute;n en los par&aacute;metros. Los resultados muestran que se produce especialmente un deterioro de los par&aacute;metros a y c, que hay unimportante n&uacute;mero de &iacute;tems del banco para los que existe FDI y que la variaci&oacute;n de los par&aacute;metros produce un impacto moderado en la estimaci&oacute;n de &theta; de los evaluados con nivel de ingl&eacute;s alto. Se concluye que los par&aacute;metros de los &iacute;tems se han deteriorado y deben ser actualizados.Item parameter drift in computerized adaptive testing: Study with eCAT. This study describes the parameter drift analysis conducted on eCAT (a Computerized Adaptive Test to assess the written English level of Spanish speakers). The original calibration of the item bank (N = 3224) was compared to a new calibration obtained from the data provided by most eCAT operative administrations (N =7254). A Differential Item Functioning (DIF) study was conducted between the original and the new calibrations. The impact that the new parameters have on the trait level estimates was obtained by simulation. Results show that parameter drift is found especially for a and c parameters, an important number of bank items show DIF, and the parameter change has a moderate impact on high-level-English &theta; estimates. It is then recommended to replace the original estimates by the new set. by the new set.</p>
10a*Software10aEducational Measurement/*methods/*statistics & numerical data10aHumans10aLanguage1 aAbad, F J1 aOlea, J1 aAguado, D1 aPonsoda, V1 aBarrada, J R  uhttp://iacat.org/content/deterioro-de-par%C3%A1metros-de-los-%C3%ADtems-en-tests-adaptativos-informatizados-estudio-con-ecat03162nas a2200361   4500008004100000020002200041245013600063210006900199250001500268260000800283300001200291490000700303520206800310653001502378653002402393653002102417653001002438653000902448653002902457653003402486653002402520653001102544653001102555653001302566653000902579653001602588100001602604700001302620700002302633700001202656700001102668856012102679       2006                        eng d  a0962-9343 (Print)00aComputerized adaptive testing of diabetes impact: a feasibility study of Hispanics and non-Hispanics in an active clinic population0 aComputerized adaptive testing of diabetes impact a feasibility s  a2006/10/13  cNov  a1503-180 v153 aBACKGROUND: Diabetes is a leading cause of death and disability in the US and is twice as common among Hispanic Americans as non-Hispanics. The societal costs of diabetes provide an impetus for developing tools that can improve patient care and delay or prevent diabetes complications. METHODS: We implemented a feasibility study of a Computerized Adaptive Test (CAT) to measure diabetes impact using a sample of 103 English- and 97 Spanish-speaking patients (mean age = 56.5, 66.5% female) in a community medical center with a high proportion of minority patients (28% African-American). The 37 items of the Diabetes Impact Survey were translated using forward-backward translation and cognitive debriefing. Participants were randomized to receive either the full-length tool or the Diabetes-CAT first, in the patient's native language. RESULTS: The number of items and the amount of time to complete the survey for the CAT was reduced to one-sixth the amount for the full-length tool in both languages, across disease severity. Confirmatory Factor Analysis confirmed that the Diabetes Impact Survey is unidimensional. The Diabetes-CAT demonstrated acceptable internal consistency reliability, construct validity, and discriminant validity in the overall sample, although subgroup analyses suggested that the English sample data evidenced higher levels of reliability and validity than the Spanish sample and issues with discriminant validity in the Spanish sample. Differential Item Function analysis revealed differences in responses tendencies by language group in 3 of the 37 items. Participant interviews suggested that the Spanish-speaking patients generally preferred the paper survey to the computer-assisted tool, and were twice as likely to experience difficulties understanding the items. CONCLUSIONS: While the Diabetes-CAT demonstrated clear advantages in reducing respondent burden as compared to the full-length tool, simplifying the item bank will be necessary for enhancing the feasibility of the Diabetes-CAT for use with low literacy patients.10a*Computers10a*Hispanic Americans10a*Quality of Life10aAdult10aAged10aData Collection/*methods10aDiabetes Mellitus/*psychology10aFeasibility Studies10aFemale10aHumans10aLanguage10aMale10aMiddle Aged1 aSchwartz, C1 aWelch, G1 aSantiago-Kelley, P1 aBode, R1 aSun, X  uhttp://iacat.org/content/computerized-adaptive-testing-diabetes-impact-feasibility-study-hispanics-and-non-hispanics02855nas a2200265   4500008004100000245006600041210006600107260000800173300000900181490000700190520208800197653002102285653002902306653003002335653001202365653001102377653001302388653003102401653001902432100001302451700001502464700001302479700001502492856008202507       2002                        eng d00aAdvances in quality of life measurements in oncology patients0 aAdvances in quality of life measurements in oncology patients  cJun  a60-80 v293 aAccurate assessment of the quality of life (QOL) of patients can provide important clinical information to physicians, especially in the area of oncology. Changes in QOL are important indicators of the impact of a new cytotoxic therapy, can affect a patient's willingness to continue treatment, and may aid in defining response in the absence of quantifiable endpoints such as tumor regression. Because QOL is becoming an increasingly important aspect in the management of patients with malignant disease, it is vital that the instruments used to measure QOL are reliable and accurate. Assessment of QOL involves a multidimensional approach that includes physical, functional, social, and emotional well-being, and the most comprehensive instruments measure at least three of these domains. Instruments to measure QOL can be generic (eg, the Nottingham Health Profile), targeted toward specific illnesses (eg, Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy - Lung), or be a combination of generic and targeted. Two of the most widely used examples of the combination, or hybrid, instruments are the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 30 Items and the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy. A consequence of the increasing international collaboration in clinical trials has been the growing necessity for instruments that are valid across languages and cultures. To assure the continuing reliability and validity of QOL instruments in this regard, item response theory can be applied. Techniques such as item response theory may be used in the future to construct QOL item banks containing large sets of validated questions that represent various levels of QOL domains. As QOL becomes increasingly important in understanding and approaching the overall management of cancer patients, the tools available to clinicians and researchers to assess QOL will continue to evolve. While the instruments currently available provide reliable and valid measurement, further improvements in precision and application are anticipated.10a*Quality of Life10a*Sickness Impact Profile10aCross-Cultural Comparison10aCulture10aHumans10aLanguage10aNeoplasms/*physiopathology10aQuestionnaires1 aCella, D1 aChang, C-H1 aLai, J S1 aWebster, K  uhttp://iacat.org/content/advances-quality-life-measurements-oncology-patients