First Validation of the Full PROMIS Pain Interference and Pain Behavior Item Banks in Patients With Rheumatoid...

Area of Science:

• Rheumatology
• Psychometrics
• Health Outcomes Research

Background:

• Pain interference and pain behavior are critical outcomes for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) management.
• The Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) offers efficient and precise health measurement via computerized adaptive tests (CATs).

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the psychometric properties of the Dutch-Flemish PROMIS pain interference (PROMIS-PI) and PROMIS pain behavior (PROMIS-PB) item banks in RA patients.
• To confirm the suitability of these PROMIS banks for use as CATs in RA research and clinical practice.

Main Methods:

• Assessed psychometric properties including unidimensionality, local dependence, monotonicity, and graded response model (GRM) fit for PROMIS-PI and PROMIS-PB.
• Evaluated cross-cultural validity (language DIF), measurement invariance (age, sex, mode, disease activity), construct validity, reliability, and floor/ceiling effects in 2,029 RA patients.

Main Results:

• Both PROMIS-PI and PROMIS-PB item banks demonstrated sufficient unidimensionality, negligible local dependence, and good GRM fit.
• High reliability (>0.90), good construct validity, absence of floor/ceiling effects, and no differential item functioning for language or other key variables were observed.

Conclusions:

• The Dutch-Flemish PROMIS-PI and PROMIS-PB item banks possess robust psychometric properties for assessing RA patients.
• These validated PROMIS banks are appropriate for implementation as CATs in both research and clinical settings for rheumatoid arthritis.