Measurement in Medicine A Practical Guide

The success of the Apgar score demonstrates the astounding power of an appropriate clinical instrument. This down-to-earth book provides practical advice, underpinned by theoretical principles, on developing and evaluating measurement instruments in all fields of medicine. It equips you to choose the most appropriate instrument for specific purposes. The book covers measurement theories, methods and criteria for evaluating and selecting instruments. It provides methods to assess measurement properties, such as reliability, validity and responsiveness, and interpret the results. Worked examples and end-of-chapter assignments use real data and well-known instruments to build your skills at implementation and interpretation through hands-on analysis of real-life cases. All data and solutions are available online. This is a perfect course book for students and a perfect companion for professionals/researchers in the medical and health sciences who care about the quality and meaning of the measurements they perform.

1. Introduction; 2. Concepts, theories and models, and types of measurements; 3. The development of a measurement instrument; 4. Field testing – item reduction and data structure; 5. Reliability; 6. Validity; 7. Responsiveness; 8. Interpretation; 9. Systematic reviews of measurement properties; Index.

Measurement instruments are essential in medicine to assess the severity of diseases, monitor health status or evaluate the effects of interventions. Learn how to improve these measurements with this book, which provides handholds for the development and evaluation of measurement instruments in all clinical disciplines.

Henrica C. W. de Vet is a Professor of Clinimetrics in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and the EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research at VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam.
Caroline B. Terwee is an Assistant Professor of Clinimetrics in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and the EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research at VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam.
Lidwine B. Mokkink is a Research Fellow in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and the EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research at VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam.
Dirk L. Knol is an Assistant Professor of Statistics in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and the EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research at VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam.