Estimating anchor-based minimal important change using longitudinal confirmatory factor analysis.

Purpose: The minimal important change (MIC) is defined as the smallest within-individual change in a patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) that patients on average perceive as important. We describe a method to estimate this value based on longitudinal confirmatory factor analysis (LCFA). The method is evaluated and compared with a recently published method based on longitudinal item response theory (LIRT) in simulated and real data.

Responsiveness and Minimal Important Change of the PROMIS Pain Interference Item Bank in Patients Presented in Musculoskeletal Practice.

We evaluated the responsiveness of the Patient Reported Outcome Information System Pain Interference item bank in patients with musculoskeletal pain by testing predefined hypotheses about the relationship between the change scores on the item bank, change scores on legacy instruments and Global Ratings of Change (GRoC), and we estimated Minimal Important Change (MIC). Patients answered the full Dutch-Flemish V1.1 item bank.

Pain trajectories and possible predictors of a favourable course of low back pain in patients consulting musculoskeletal physicians in The Netherlands.

Background: In The Netherlands, low back pain patients can consult physicians specialized in musculoskeletal (MSK) medicine. Previous studies have reported on the characteristics of patients consulting MSK physicians, and the treatment options used. There are no studies yet reporting on the course of Low Back Pain (LBP) after treatment by musculoskeletal (MSK) physicians in The Netherlands.

A confirmatory factor analysis approach was found to accurately estimate the reliability of transition ratings.

Introduction: Transition ratings (TRs) are single item measures which ask patients to report on their health change. They allow for a simple assessment of improvement or deterioration and are frequently used as an "anchor" to determine interpretation thresholds on a patient-reported outcome measure (PROM). Despite their widespread use, a routinely applicable method to assess their reliability is lacking.

Psychometric properties of the Dutch-Flemish Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System Pain Behavior item bank in patients with musculoskeletal complaints.

We studied the psychometric properties of the 39-item v1.1 Dutch-Flemish Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System Pain Behavior item bank in a sample of 1,602 patients with musculoskeletal complaints. We evaluated the assumptions of the underlying item response theory (IRT) model (unidimensionality and local dependency with confirmatory factor analyses), and monotonicity with scalability coefficients).

Differential item functioning of the PROMIS physical function, pain interference, and pain behavior item banks across patients with different musculoskeletal disorders and persons from the general population.

Purpose: To investigate the validity of comparisons across patients with different musculoskeletal disorders and persons from the general population by evaluating differential item functioning (DIF) for the PROMIS physical function (PROMIS-PF), pain interference (PROMIS-PI), and pain behavior (PROMIS-PB) item banks.

Methods: Patients with chronic pain, rheumatoid arthritis (RA), or osteoarthritis (OA); patients receiving physiotherapy (PT); and persons from the Dutch general population completed the full Dutch-Flemish PROMIS-PF (121-items), PROMIS-PI (40-items), or PROMIS-PB (39-items) banks. DIF was assessed with ordinal logistic regression models and McFadden's pseudo R-change of ≥ 2% as critical value.

Validation of the Dutch-Flemish PROMIS Pain Interference Item Bank in Patients With Musculoskeletal Complaints.

Study Design: A cross-sectional study.

Objective: The aim of this study was to validate the Dutch-Flemish PROMIS Pain Interference item bank in patients with musculoskeletal complaints.

Summary Of Background Data: PROMIS item banks have been developed and validated in the US.

Physicians using spinal manipulative treatment in The Netherlands: a description of their characteristics and their patients.

Background: Various health care professionals apply Spinal Manipulative Treatment (SMT) in daily practice. While the characteristics of chiropractors and manual therapists and the characteristics of their patient populations are well described, there is little research about physicians who use SMT techniques. A distinct group of physicians in The Netherlands has been trained in musculoskeletal (MSK) medicine, which includes the use of SMT.

The influence of study population and definition of improvement on the smallest detectable change and the minimal important change of the neck disability index.

Background: Reported values of the minimal important change (MIC) and the smallest detectable change (SDC) for the neck disability index (NDI) differ strongly, raising questions about the generalizability of these parameters. The SDC and the MIC are possibly influenced by the study design or by the study population. We studied the influence of the type of anchor, the definition of improvement and population characteristics on the SDC and the MIC of the NDI.

Variance in manual treatment of nonspecific low back pain between orthomanual physicians, manual therapists, and chiropractors.

Objective: The aim of the study was to identify differences in the diagnosis and treatment of nonspecific low back pain among 3 professional groups in the Netherlands: orthomanual physicians, manual therapists, and chiropractors.

Methods: Information was obtained from training materials from professional groups, literature searches, and observation of selected practitioners at work.

Results: In The Netherlands, there are differences in education between the 3 professional groups.