Abstract
The purpose of this chapter is to explore issues around the reliability and validity of measures used in health care; these measures could be clinical, educational or for research. Broadly speaking, this chapter is concerned with psychometrics and I will begin by exploring what psychometrics is about and why it applies directly to the issues of measurement in nursing. This is followed by a discussion of the concept of measurement and why it is fundamental to understanding psychometrics. Various definitions and types of reliability are discussed; in addition, methods used in research to ascertain the reliability and validity of instruments are also outlined. The chapter concludes with a brief discussion of other approaches used in the testing of instruments, including sensitivity, specificity, receiver operating characteristics and item response theory.
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | Quantitative Health Research: Issues and Methods |
Editors | Elizabeth A. Curtis, Jonathan Drennan |
Place of Publication | U.S.A. |
Publisher | Open University Press |
Pages | 313-330 |
Number of pages | 18 |
ISBN (Print) | 9780335245734 |
Publication status | Published - 2013 |