Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Oral Epithelial Dysplasia Informational Needs Questionnaire

The Oral Epithelial Dysplasia Information Needs Questionnaire (ODIN-Q) was developed to assess the informational needs of patients with oral epithelial dysplasia (OED). This study aimed to evaluate the six-factor ODIN-Q model to determine its psychometric properties and alignment with a theoretical framework.

Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted with 165 participants to assess the model's fit. Consensus-based standards for selecting health measurement instruments were followed, and five participants per item in the assessment tool were required for effective CFA. Various fit indices, factor loadings and inter-factor correlations were analysed.

The CFA results indicated a moderate model fit, which was consistent with other multidimensional patient-reported instruments. The average factor loading for all 33 items was 0.58 (highest = 0.84, lowest = 0.28). Only two items with relatively low loadings (< 0.3) were related to doctors' experience and lifestyle adjustments. Additionally, the ODIN-Q distinguished conceptually distinct domains with low inter-factor correlations (< 0.20).

The current six-factor ODIN-Q is a psychometrically sound instrument for assessing the informational needs of individuals with OED. Further cross-cultural assessments of the ODIN-Q are required to demonstrate its cultural sensitivity in other English-speaking patient cohorts and globally.