Tools and Techniques Used in Psychometric Evaluation of Quality of Life Tool: A Literature Review

Abstract

The number of standardised tools is increasing day by day, and the demand for the development of novel and standardised tools is very high. One major reason for this demand is that either standardised tools are not available, or existing tools are not capable of measuring outcomes properly due to a lack of reliability and validity in specific settings. It has been noted that many researchers are not aware of the process of tool development, such as how to conduct a literature review, translate standardised tools, perform cross-cultural adaptations, create shortened versions of existing standardised tools, and construct new tools based on specific diseases. The objective of present review paper is to outline various techniques used in the development of tools and the psychometric testing of these tools. It explores the steps and processes needed to develop a valid, appropriate, and reliable tool that can be used by practitioners. It aimed to assist nurses and researchers in developing Quality of Life (QoL) tools based on their clinical settings and experiences. The common steps in the tool development process include in-depth interviews, item pool generation, and reliability checking. The tool must also include various forms of validity, such as face, concurrent, and content validity, for its development. Additionally, construct validity and factor analysis, including principal component analysis, are essential components of the process.

Keywords

• cross-cultural adaptation
• focus group
• item pool generation
• tool development
• translation