Critical examination of current response shift methods and proposal for advancing new methods

Area of Science:

• Health Outcomes Research
• Psychometrics
• Statistical Modeling

Background:

• Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) are crucial in research.
• Response shift can alter the interpretation of PROM results.
• Existing methods for response shift have limitations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To critically examine current methods for response shift.
• To identify limitations of existing response shift methodologies.
• To propose advancements for new response shift methods.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of design-based, qualitative, individualized, and preference-based methods.
• Appraisal of methods based on definition, operationalization, and detection capabilities.
• Evaluation of statistical approaches including latent variable models.

Main Results:

• Eleven methods for operationalizing response shift were examined.
• Six methods differentiate between observed and target change.
• Limitations highlight the need for methods addressing individual variation and multiple time points.

Conclusions:

• No single response shift method is universally optimal.
• Accurate interpretation of results requires additional steps.
• Advancing new methods and conducting comparative simulation studies are recommended.