Health Measurement Scales: A practical guide to their development and use [Paperback]

David L Streiner (Author), Geoffrey R Norman (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0199231885 | ISBN-13: 978-0199231881 | Publication Date: December 15, 2008 | Edition: 4

Clinicians and those in health sciences are frequently called upon to measure subjective states such as attitudes, feelings, quality of life, educational achievement and aptitude, and learning style in their patients. This fourth edition of Health Measurement Scales enables these groups who often have limited knowledge of statistics, to both develop scales to measure non-tangible health outcomes, and better evaluate and differentiate between existing tools.

It covers how the individual items are developed; various biases that can affect responses (eg social desirability, yea-saying, framing); various response options; how to select the best items in the set; how to combine them into a scale; and then how to determine the reliability and validity of the scale. It concludes with a discussion of ethical issues that may be encountered, and guidelines for reporting the results of the scale development process. Appendices include a comprehensive guide to finding existing scales, and a brief introduction to exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. It synthesizes the theory of scale construction with practical advice, making it the ultimate guide to how to develop and validate measurement scales that are to be used in the health sciences.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This book continues to be a valuable reference book for researchers interested in the intricacies and nuances of scale development and evaluation. The authors present a broad, informative approach, and do so in a humorous and interesting manner, making this book an enjoyable book to read."--Journal of Biopharmaceutical Statistics

"The purpose is to provide a resource to researchers in the health science on the subject of measurement. The book succeeds (as did prior editions) in covering aspects of psychosocial measurements with relevant health-related examples....The authors have added new material and expanded other material in important ways since the first edition. While all chapters are useful, the updated discussion of validity and the new secion on G-theory will stand out as important references for readers."--Doody's

About the Author

David Streiner attended the City College of New York, and then did his graduate work in clinical psychology at Syracuse University. In 1968, he joined the newly-formed Department of Psychiatry at McMaster University, and became the Chief Psychologist at the McMaster University Medical Centre. In 1980, he also became a member of the Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics at McMaster, and was the Deputy Chair of CE&B for two years. He was one of the founding editors of Evidence-based Mental Health, and is currently editor of the Statistical Developments and Applications section of the Journal of Personality Assessment, as well as being on the editorial board of numerous other journals.
Geoff Norman attended the University of Manitoba as an undergraduate, graduating with an honours degree in physics in 1965. He did graduate work in nuclear physics, obtaining a PhD in 1970. At that point he began a career in health sciences education, and subsequently obtained an M.A. in educational psychology from Michigan State University in 1977. He joined the faculty at McMaster in 1977, and has remained at McMaster for the next three decades. He has won numerous awards in medical education, including the Hubbard Award of the National Board of Medical Examiners (US), and lifetime achievement awards from the Medical Council of Canada and the American Educational Research Association, among others. In 2001, he was awarded a Canada Research Chair. In 2007, he was elected to the Royal Society of Canada. He has published over 200 papers in education, epidemiology, psychiatry and physics, as well as authoring and editing several books.

Product Details

• Paperback: 428 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; 4 edition (December 15, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0199231885
• ISBN-13: 978-0199231881
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #93,166 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #12 in Books > Medical Books > Administration & Medicine Economics > Health Risk Assessment

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars very nice book, excellent practical advice, February 14, 2008

By 

JVerkuilen (BAYSIDE, NY, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Health Measurement Scales: A Practical Guide to Their Development and Use (Oxford Medical Publications) (Paperback)

I really like this book and wish that I'd found out about it before my psychometrics class in the spring started, because I would have assigned it in a heartbeat. It's got a lot of the kind of practical advice that anyone thinking of creating a scale REALLY needs to hear first, including the #1 bit of advice: Should you make one yourself? For instance, excellent summaries of the work on scale usage biases by Jon Krosnick, Norbert Schwartz, etc., give useful cautionary information for scale constructors. I have a few disagreements---some of the advice about procedures such as some of the scaling methods they mention is out of date, for instance, and the chapters on factor analysis and IRT are a bit weak, but I can cover that with other material. It certainly doesn't detract from the value of the book overall and I've learned a bunch I didn't know reading it. It'll be on the syllabus next time!

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simple .......but yet comprehensive, June 25, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Health Measurement Scales: A Practical Guide to Their Development and Use (Oxford Medical Publications) (Paperback)

This is undoubtedly, one of the best books I have read in this area. The authors follow an appropriate sequence in terms of addressing scale development, testing and analyses issues. The best thing about the book is that it is really easy to comprehend and covers all the important areas. I feel it is a "must buy" for professionals in the area of health-related quality of life and outcomes research.

5.0 out of 5 stars Useful new perspective, December 27, 2010

By 

EVK "EVK" (Plymouth, MN) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Health Measurement Scales: A practical guide to their development and use (Paperback)

The book is extremely well written by people that know their field. For people interested in psychometry it gives a new perspective applying psychometrics in the health sciences. I found many applications and suggestions that were very useful.