Measurement equivalence of touch-screen computerized and paper-based diabetes-specific quality-of-life quesionnaires

초록

Aims: This study tested the measurement equivalence of the touch-screen computerized diabetes-specific quality of life questionnaire (cD-QOL) with its originally developed paper-based counterpart (pD-QOL). The times taken to complete the two modes of questionnaire, user preference, and ease of use of the cD-QOL were also explored. Methods: In total, 208 subjects were administered the pD-QOL and cD-QOL in a two-period crossover design. The measurement equivalence was evaluated with diverse indexes: a quadratic weighted kappa coefficient (κw), intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), and Cronbach’s alpha comparison. Results: The quadratic κw ranged from 0.703 to 0.823, and the ICC was 0.95, indicating excellent agreement between the pD-QOL and cD-QOL. Cronbach’s alpha and the completion time did not differ significantly between the two questionnaires. Among the subjects, 82.7% preferred to use the cD-QOL, and 86.9% responded that the cD-QOL was easy to use. Conclusions: The cD-QOL was equivalent to its original paper-based counterpart (i.e., the pD-QOL). The patients reported that they preferred the cD-QOL to the pD-QOL, and that it was easy to use.