Health Measurement Instruments

This course is primarily intended for Research Master students. There is only a limited number of spots available for PhD students

Description
During this course, you will learn the basics about developing and evaluating measurement instruments. Attention will be paid to the following themes:
(1) Types of measurements and operationalizing
(2) Validity & Factor Analyses
(3) Reliability
(4) Responsiveness
(5) Interpretability

During the second phase of the course, different research challenges related to measurement instruments will be addressed. For example, we will discuss how to ensure that measurement instruments are sufficiently tailored to the target population (e.g. health literacy, culture). We will examine the challenges associated with the instruments’ ability to detect changes, and we will discuss the consequences and ways to manage missing or incomplete data in questionnaires. We will also explore whether results of repeated measurements can be interpreted similarly if the instrument is applied in different phases of life or under different circumstances.

Learning outcomes
At the end of the course, students are able to:

• Critically evaluate the operationalization of a concept by examining its clarity, what you want to know and how you will assess the concept
• Assess the health measurement instruments’ quality and select the most suitable instrument for a specific research question
• Evaluate and improve the items used to measure a concept, based on a factor analysis
• Assess the importance and ways to interpret meaningful changes in scores over time

Hours per week
23

Teaching methods
Interactive lectures, assignments, additional support via e-modules

Exam / assessment
Assignments and open book exam
100% attendance required