Standardized Approaches to Measurement

Standardized Approaches to Measurement

• Standardized measurement involves uniform procedures in development, administration, and scoring of measures.
• Standardized measures are norm-referenced, meaning individual scores are interpreted by comparing them to scores from a defined comparison group.
• A standardized measure is a measure that's constructed, administered, scored, and interpreted in a prescribed, precise, and consistent manner. It aims to reduce external influences that compromise reliability.
• Standardized measures have four key characteristics:
  • A fixed set of items designed to measure a specific concept, entity, attribute, or behavior.
  • Clear rules and procedures for administration and scoring.
  • Provision of norms to assist in interpreting scores.
  • An ongoing development process that involves careful testing, analysis, and revision to ensure high technical quality.
• Not all measurement tools used in health research meet these criteria. Non-standardized measures lack some or all of these key features.
• Decisions on using standardized vs non-standardized measures should consider:
  • The purpose of the information collected.
  • The types of questions needing answers.
  • The availability of a suitable standardized measure.
• Examples of standardized measures include:
  • Morse Fall Scale
  • Braden Scale
• Standardized approaches in healthcare systems improve quality of care, efficiency, cost-effectiveness, interoperability, and international comparability.
• Standardized nursing terminologies (SNTs), like those recognized by the American Nurses Association (ANA), impact patient and organizational outcomes.
• Jordan is implementing a standardized health information system to improve integration and accessibility. The Hakeem program aims for this with both public and primary care centers. The goal is to ease patient information exchange.
• Steps for constructing standardized measures include developing objectives, identifying procedures for items, testing measures, establishing norms, developing standardized administration and scoring techniques.

Types of Norms

• Norms can be classified according to the scope of the population, including:
  • National/International norms, encompassing individuals varying in demographic characteristics (age, gender, race, social status, and educational background)
  • Total group norms, encompassing the full sample.
  • Differentiated norms, encompassing subgroups based on relevant characteristics.
  • Regional/local norms are those with more geographically specific samples. A measure may provide norms for multiple regional areas.
• Statistical units, like t-scores and Z-scores are used to present norms for easier interpretation.
• Establishing norms requires a multistep process: selecting a representative sample group, administration according to standardized procedures, plotting scores in frequency distributions, calculating and reporting norms using relevant statistical units (e.g., t-scores, Z-scores).

Selecting the Measure

• Considerations for selecting a measure involves understanding the phenomenon being studied and the intended uses.
• The measure should fit the purpose, have quality assessments, appropriate content, and reflect potentially relevant biases.
• The selected measure needs clearly defined concepts that can be related to the research question. Consideration should be given to the context in which assessments will be used in addition to potential biases or other influences.

Evaluating Standardized Measures

• Key questions to evaluate standardized measures: purpose, conceptual basis, content, technical quality, norms, administration, scoring, interpretation, cost, and reviews.

Administration

• Standardized administration ensures consistent results across different administrations.
• The process begins with a norming administration on a representative sample group.
• Procedures include establishing uniform administration conditions.
• Data collection of referent sample members during the norming process help to create differentiated norms for various subgroups

Scoring

• Standardized measure scoring is pre-defined by developers, using specific and clear rules to maintain consistency in scoring.
• Machine scoring is more common for standardized measures and often faster/more accurate than manual scoring.
• Scoring rules for standardized measures should be clearly and explicitly detailed. A manual may be required for each.
• Non-standardized measures may have more flexible scoring procedures.

Communicating the Norms

• Communicating norms should be done with accurate and clear tables, graphs, and simple narrative descriptions.

Application

• Measuring personality traits (like from the Big Five Inventory), applying these to nurse anesthetists and surgical nurses provides insights useful for skill development selection.
• The study employs statistical methods (like ANOVA) to compare personality traits across subgroups to identify variations within these groups.
• Data on personality traits may show associations with surgical/anesthesiology skill performance and competency.
• Studying characteristics of individuals working in high-complexity/technology-based environments can help to understand more about selecting individuals for training and professional development.

Updating Norms

• Norms need to be updated regularly as cultural, lifestyle, and technological changes impact the traits being measured.

Adequacy of Norms

• Criteria to confirm adequacy of norms encompass representative samples, clearly defined characteristics of the referent group, consistent administration and scoring procedures, documented norming dates, proper statistical methods, clear descriptions or instructions for interpretation, differentiated norms for subgroups, and up-to-date norms.

Interpretation of Scores

• Standardized scores should consider the generic meaning (normative), the purpose for which the information will be used, and the broader context in which the interpretation takes place.
• Interpretation involves comparing an individual's score with scores of the defined referent group.

Explore the key features and importance of standardized measurement in research. This quiz delves into the procedures, scoring methods, and characteristics that define standardized measures. Understand how these tools enhance reliability and interpretation in various contexts.