OBJECTIVE To develop a comprehensive measure of Early Physical Functioning (EPF) post-stroke quantified through Rasch analysis and conceptualized using the International Classification of Functioning Disability and Health (ICF). DESIGN An observational cohort study. SUBJECTS A cohort of 262 subjects (mean age 71.6 (standard deviation 12.5) years) hospitalized post-acute stroke. METHODS Fu...

BACKGROUND Multi attribute utility instruments (MAUIs) are preference-based measures that comprise a health state classification system (HSCS) and a scoring algorithm that assigns a utility value to each health state in the HSCS. When developing a MAUI from a health-related quality of life (HRQOL) questionnaire, first a HSCS must be derived. This typically involves selecting a subset of domains...

BACKGROUND The purpose of this study is to use Rasch analysis to explore the validity of considering self-report scores from Wisconsin Upper Respiratory Symptom Survey (WURSS-21) as a single global illness severity domain. The WURSS-21 is a widely used questionnaire instrument that assesses symptom severity and functional impact of common cold and flu-like illness. METHODS This study applies ...

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to test the internal validity of the total Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression (CES-D) scale using Rasch analysis in a rheumatoid arthritis (RA) population. METHODS CES-D was administered to 157 patients with RA over three time points within a 12 month period. Rasch analysis was applied using RUMM2020 software to assess the overall fit of the model...

[Purpose] The aim of this study was to standardize the clock drawing test (CDT) for people with stroke using Rasch analysis. [Subjects and Methods] Seventeen items of the CDT identified through a literature review were performed by 159 stroke patients. The data was analyzed with Winstep version 3.57 using the Rasch model to examine the unidimensionality of the items' fit, the distribution of th...

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to investigate unidimensionality and differential item functioning of the SF-36 physical functioning scale (PF10) in patients with various neurological disorders. PATIENTS PATIENTS post-stroke (n = 198), with multiple sclerosis (n = 151) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (n = 193) participated. METHODS Unidimensionality of the PF10 within the patient grou...

As reported in a previous paper, teaching mathematics to non-specialist undergraduate students in the UK has become particularly problematic in recent years. A larger scale survey of first year undergraduate students was subsequently undertaken to explore levels of mathematical anxiety among the student group. This paper illustrates and reports on the application of Rasch analysis to these surv...

This article discusses the application of Rasch analysis to assess the internal validity of a four sub-scale VARK (Visual, Auditory, Read/Write and Kinaesthetic) learning styles instrument. The results from the analysis show that the Rasch model fits the majority of the VARK questionnaire data and the sample data support the internal validity of the four sub-constructs at 1% level of significan...

BACKGROUND The Personal Care Participation Assessment and Resource Tool (PC-PART) is a 43-item, clinician-administered assessment, designed to identify patients' unmet needs (participation restrictions) in activities of daily living (ADL) required for community life. This information is important for identifying problems that need addressing to enable, for example, discharge from inpatient sett...

BACKGROUND The study aimed at presenting normative data for both parallel forms of the "Rasch-based Depression Screening (DESC)", to examine its Rasch model conformity and convergent and divergent validity based on a representative sample of the German general population. METHODS The sample was selected with the assistance of a demographic consulting company applying a face to face interview ...