Open AccessThe arthritis knowledge questionnaire
Author(s) -
Edworthy Steven M.,
Devins Gerald M.,
Watson Margaret M.
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
arthritis & rheumatism
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1529-0131
pISSN - 0004-3591
DOI - 10.1002/art.1780380503
Subject(s) - face validity , arthritis , medicine , rheumatoid arthritis , content validity , physical therapy , set (abstract data type) , psychometrics , clinical psychology , psychology , computer science , programming language
Objective . To develop a questionnaire for measuring patients' knowledge about arthritis and its self‐management. Methods . An initial item pool of 175 multiple‐choice questions was developed, based on the Stanford Arthritis Self‐Management Program and on basic medical knowledge about arthritis and its management. A rheumatologist, psychologist, physiotherapist, and several lay individuals assessed the questions for content validity, breadth of coverage, and face validity. Patients assessed the questions for comprehensibility. Four subject groups with varying knowledge levels were recruited to answer the entire set of questions. Item analysis was undertaken to develop parallel forms of subtests so that repeated assessments could be undertaken. Results . The final instrument, the Arthritis Knowledge Questionnaire, consists of 2 tests, each comprising 3 subtests: self‐management (15 items), arthritis in general (15 items), and rheumatoid arthritis (11 items). Conclusion . We present psychometric evidence that these parallel forms provide highly reliable and valid estimates of knowledge concerning arthritis and arthritis self‐management.