Construção de instrumentos de medida na área da saúde

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Abstract

Instrumentos de medida são partes integrantes da prática clínica, da avaliação em saúde e de pesquisas. Esses instrumentos só são úteis e capazes de apresentar resultados cientificamente robustos quando são desenvolvidos de maneira apropriada e quando apresentam boas qualidades psicométricas. A literatura aponta que, apesar do aumento significativo no número de escalas de avaliação, muitas não têm sido desenvolvidas e validadas adequadamente. O presente estudo teve como objetivos realizar uma revisão narrativa sobre o processo de elaboração de novos instrumentos e apresentar algumas ferramentas que podem ser utilizadas em algumas etapas do seu processo de desenvolvimento. As etapas descritas foram: I-Estabelecimento da estrutura conceitual e definição dos objetivos do instrumento e da população envolvida; II-Construção dos itens e das escalas de respostas; III-Seleção e organização dos itens e estruturação do instrumento; IV-Validade de conteúdo; e V-Pré-teste. Uma discussão breve sobre a avaliação das propriedades psicométricas foi incluída devido à importância que esta tem para que os instrumentos sejam aceitos e reconhecidos tanto no meio científico como no meio clínico.

Translated abstract

Measurement instruments are an integral part of clinical practice, health evaluation and research. These instruments are only useful and able to present scientifically robust results when they are developed properly and have appropriate psychometric properties. Despite the significant increase of rating scales, the literature suggests that many of them have not been adequately developed and validated. The scope of this study was to conduct a narrative review on the process of developing new measurement instruments and to present some tools which can be used in some stages of the development process. The steps described were: I-The establishment of a conceptual framework, and the definition of the objectives of the instrument and the population involved; II-Development of the items and of the response scales; III-Selection and organization of the items and structuring of the instrument; IV-Content validity, V-Pre-test. This study also included a brief discussion on the evaluation of the psychometric properties due to their importance for the instruments to be accepted and acknowledged in both scientific and clinical environments.

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Most cited references 55

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Validity and reliability of measurement instruments used in research.

Carole L. Kimberlin, Almut Winterstein (2008)

Issues related to the validity and reliability of measurement instruments used in research are reviewed. Key indicators of the quality of a measuring instrument are the reliability and validity of the measures. The process of developing and validating an instrument is in large part focused on reducing error in the measurement process. Reliability estimates evaluate the stability of measures, internal consistency of measurement instruments, and interrater reliability of instrument scores. Validity is the extent to which the interpretations of the results of a test are warranted, which depends on the particular use the test is intended to serve. The responsiveness of the measure to change is of interest in many of the applications in health care where improvement in outcomes as a result of treatment is a primary goal of research. Several issues may affect the accuracy of data collected, such as those related to self-report and secondary data sources. Self-report of patients or subjects is required for many of the measurements conducted in health care, but self-reports of behavior are particularly subject to problems with social desirability biases. Data that were originally gathered for a different purpose are often used to answer a research question, which can affect the applicability to the study at hand. In health care and social science research, many of the variables of interest and outcomes that are important are abstract concepts known as theoretical constructs. Using tests or instruments that are valid and reliable to measure such constructs is a crucial component of research quality.