title: Using standardized survey items with older adults hospitalized for chronic illness.
abstract: We used the stages of the question response model as a framework to discuss the challenges in administering standardized measures to older adults hospitalized with chronic illnesses. Items with complex content and those with negative stems were associated with difficulties during the comprehension stage. Present experience with the subject of the item was a barrier to retrieving past experiences. The lack of relevance of an item's content to the respondent's situation was associated with problems during the judgment stage. The numeric response format of the items was an obstacle during the response stage. Strategies to enhance the validity of the surveys included breaking up, rephrasing, and contextualizing items, and using descriptive response options.
authors.affiliation: Collaborative Research Program: Rehabilitation & Long-Term Care, Baycrest.
authors.forename: Mary T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Fox
authors.forename: Souraya
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sidani
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Streiner
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged / Q000523:psychology*; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001294:Attitude to Health; D015982:Bias; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000451:nursing / Q000523:psychology*; D003625:Data Collection / Q000592:standards*; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006801:Humans; D007297:Inpatients / Q000193:education / Q000523:psychology*; D007407:Interviews as Topic / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D008297:Male; D020380:Needs Assessment; D009730:Nursing Assessment; D015403:Nursing Evaluation Research; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D009864:Ontario; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011594:Psychometrics; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards*