Article

OBJECTIVE: To further the development of the 99-item Symptom Inventory (SI) for
multiple sclerosis (MS) using modern test theory methods to create 3
disability-specific short forms for MS patient subgroups identified using
Performance Scale (PS) items. DESIGN: A web-based cross-sectional study. SETTING:
National MS Registry. PARTICIPANTS: People with MS (N=1532) who participate in
the North American Research Committee on Multiple Sclerosis Registry.
INTERVENTIONS: None.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The SI; the disease-specific PS and
the Patient-Determined Disease Steps; and the generic Short-Form 12. RESULTS:
When the original SI subscales did not demonstrate unidimensionality, exploratory
factor analysis was conducted yielding 14 factors that could be classified using
the structure of the PS. Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the
unidimensionality of the hand function, vision, fatigue, cognitive,
bowel/bladder, spasticity, and pain scales. The mobility scale was split into
mobility and use of assistive devices; the sensory scale was split into sensory
and vasomotor. Item response theory analyses revealed good model fit.
CONCLUSIONS: This study provides empirical support for a 10-scale symptom measure
for use in MS clinical research, with short forms in 5 scales tailored to have
good specificity for people with mild, moderate, and severe disability and single
forms for the remaining 5 scales. The PS items can serve as a screener for these
disability-specific short forms, which provide choice and flexibility that are
similar to a computerized adaptive test but without the reliance on real-time
computer infrastructure.
CI - Copyright (c) 2012 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by
Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Langue : ANGLAIS