Conducting Systematic Reviews of the Quality and Psychometric Properties of Health-Related Measurement Instruments: Finding the Right Tool for the Job

Abstract

Many health-related measurement instruments have been developed to measure psychological constructs and whilst several instruments are usually available for a particular study, finding the right tool for the job is important. Systematic reviews of measurement properties of instruments have long been identified as a valuable strategy to ensure that we select the right tool to assess mental health. There are many important steps and procedures to guide these types of systematic reviews to find the “best fit” and this paper summarizes some of these key processes and steps. The selection of instrument(s) to use should be made considering the most recent comprehensive review of the quality of the outcome measurement instrument based on unbiased assessment of its psychometric properties, responsiveness, and generalizability of results. Researchers planning to conduct a systematic review of health-related measurement instruments should design the review beforehand using standardized frameworks. Conducting systematic reviews of the quality and psychometric properties of health-related measurement instruments is important to ensure we choose the best tool for the research question and target population.

Conflict of interest statement

Nil

Author contributions

All authors have agreed on the final version and meet at least one of the following criteria recommended by the ICMJE (http://www.icmje.org/recommendations/):

• Substantial contributions to conception and design, acquisition of data or analysis and interpretation of data; drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content.

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.