title: Item Response Theory Applied to Factors Affecting the Patient Journey Towards Hearing Rehabilitation.
abstract: To develop a tool for use in hearing screening and to evaluate the patient journey towards hearing rehabilitation, responses tothe hearing aid rehabilitation questionnairescalesaid stigma, pressure, andaid unwantedaddressing respectively hearing aid stigma, experienced pressure from others; perceived hearing aid benefit were evaluated withitem response theory.The sample was comprised of 212 persons aged 55 years or more; 63 were hearing aid users, 64 with and 85 persons without hearing impairment according to guidelines for hearing aid reimbursement in the Netherlands. Bias was investigated relative to hearing aid use and hearing impairment within the differential test functioning framework. Items compromising model fit or demonstrating differential item functioning were dropped. Theaid stigmascale was reduced from 6 to 4, thepressure scalefrom 7 to 4, and theaid unwantedscale from 5 to 4 items. This procedure resulted in bias-free scales ready for screening purposes and application to further understand the help-seeking process of the hearing impaired.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands; Department of Health, Ethics and Society, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands; CAPHRI (School for Public Health and Primary Care), Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Michelene
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chenault
authors.affiliation: Department of Methodology and Statistics, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University , Maastricht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Martijn
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Berger
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands; School of Mental Health and Neuroscience, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Bernd
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kremer
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands; School of Mental Health and Neuroscience, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Lucien
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Anteunis
keywords: Item response theory; graded response model; hearing rehabilitation