Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Oral Epithelial Dysplasia Informational Needs Questionnaire

Area of Science:

• Oral pathology
• Health psychology
• Psychometrics

Background:

• Oral epithelial dysplasia (OED) is a precancerous condition requiring specific patient information.
• Assessing patient informational needs is crucial for effective management and support.
• The Oral Epithelial Dysplasia Information Needs Questionnaire (ODIN-Q) was developed to address this need.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the psychometric properties of the six-factor ODIN-Q model.
• To assess the alignment of the ODIN-Q with a theoretical framework.
• To validate the ODIN-Q as a measure for patients with OED.

Main Methods:

• Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was performed on data from 165 participants.
• The study adhered to consensus-based standards for health measurement instrument selection.
• Fit indices, factor loadings, and inter-factor correlations were analyzed.

Main Results:

• The CFA indicated a moderate model fit, comparable to other multidimensional patient-reported instruments.
• The average factor loading was 0.58, with most items demonstrating adequate loading.
• The ODIN-Q effectively differentiated between conceptually distinct domains with low inter-factor correlations (<0.20).

Conclusions:

• The six-factor ODIN-Q is a psychometrically sound instrument for assessing OED patient informational needs.
• Further cross-cultural validation is recommended for broader applicability.
• The ODIN-Q shows promise for use in diverse English-speaking patient cohorts globally.