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Psychometric Characteristics of the Minimum Data Set II: Validity
Author(s) -
Lawton M. Powell,
Casten Robin,
Parmelee Patricia A.,
Haitsma Kimberly,
Corn Julie,
Kleban Morton H.
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
journal of the american geriatrics society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.992
H-Index - 232
eISSN - 1532-5415
pISSN - 0002-8614
DOI - 10.1111/j.1532-5415.1998.tb03809.x
Subject(s) - minimum data set , cognition , activities of daily living , irritability , medicine , clinical psychology , depression (economics) , gerontology , set (abstract data type) , criterion validity , mental health , psychometrics , construct validity , psychiatry , nursing homes , nursing , computer science , economics , macroeconomics , programming language
OBJECTIVE: To determine the validity of the Minimum Data Set (MDS). DESIGN: MDS domain scores were correlated with a variety of independently obtained measures of basic behavioral and mental health functions of 513 nursing home residents. SETTING: All participants were residents of the Philadelphia Geriatric Center. PARTICIPANTS: One group of residents (n = 260) represented consecutive admissions who were able to respond to formal testing. The other group of residents (n = 253) represented presumably cognitively impaired residents whose data did not depend on self‐report. MEASUREMENTS: MDS item‐composite scores based on a confirmatory factor analysis were derived for the domains of cognition, activities of daily living (ADL), time use, depression, and problem behaviors. Hypotheses stating how these MDS domains should be related to standard measures of cognitive function, ADL, depression, agitation, social behavior, and irritability were tested. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of the hypotheses were upheld, thus suggesting that the MDS is usable as a source of research data. The sizes of the validity coefficients were modest, however. Depression and problem behavior were less well affirmed than cognition, ADL, and Time Use. There is a clear need for improvement in training and probably in the form of MDS measurement in some areas.