Paper
Friday, 21 July 2006
This presentation is part of : Measurement: Design and Development of Instrumentation to Assess Patient Attitudes and Beliefs and to Collect Background Information
Development of Standardized Sociodemographic and Co-Morbidity Questionnaires
Susan Sereika, PhD, Department of Health and Community Systems, Biostatistics, and Epidemiology, SON and Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA and Sandy Engberg, RN, PhD, CRNP, School of Nursing, The University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Comorbid conditions and sociodemographic characteristics can influence response to interventions for chronic conditions. Over time, Center for Research in Chronic Disorders (CRCD) investigators have used a variety of approaches to collect data about these characteristics. The desire to collect comparable data across CRCD studies prompted the development of the CRCD Sociodemographic and Co-Morbidity Questionnaires. With expert consultation, the CRDC developed a draft questionnaire to collect information on sociodemographic characteristics including sex, age, race, income, education, household size, etc. Meetings were held to discuss measurement of complex characteristics variables (e.g., race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status) and their relationship to health outcomes. CRCD investigators reviewed the instrument with reference to their target populations. Based on this work, the CRCD Sociodemographic Questionnaire was finalized. At the time of development of the co-morbidity questionnaire, the Charlson Co-Morbidity Index, developed for use in acute care settings, was the most widely used questionnaire. CRCD investigators had limited access to subjects' medical records prompting the need for a self-report measure of co-morbidities. In addition to diseases, investigators wanted to collect symptom information. Based on the Charlson Co-Morbidity Index, a draft of the questionnaire was developed and circulated. Investigators suggested other diseases and symptoms to be included. Following consensus on diseases and symptoms, a question format for exploring each disease was developed including diagnosis by a health care provider, current treatment and quality of life impact. The CRCD Co-Morbidity Questionnaire asks about more than 60 diseases and symptoms. While all CRCD studies collect a basic set of sociodemographic and comorbid characteristics, additional variables can be added to the either questionnaire by specific studies. Use of these standardized instruments has allowed the systematic examination of subject characteristics across the studies supported by the CRCD.

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