Development of a Computerized Adaptive Test for Quantifying Chinese Medicine Syndrome of Myasthenia Gravis on Basis of Multidimensional Item Response Theory.
EVIDENCE-BASED COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE 2021;
2021:9915503. [PMID:
34122609 PMCID:
PMC8166489 DOI:
10.1155/2021/9915503]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2021] [Revised: 03/29/2021] [Accepted: 04/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Background
Making comprehensive management of myasthenia gravis (MG) is a challenge in clinical practice due to heterogeneity and multiple comorbidities among patients.
Aim
To develop an end-to-end instrument for individualized assessment of MG in the perspective of Chinese medicine (TCM) with the application of multidisciplinary quantification approaches.
Methods
A self-administrated questionnaire was developed integrating typical symptoms of MG and spleen-kidney deficiency syndrome on basis of the conceptual framework of TCM. With data collected in a multicenter cross-sectional study, confirmatory factor analysis together with multidimensional item response theory (MIRT) was used for evaluating the psychometric property of the questionnaire. A computerized adaptive test was developed based on the MIRT model, and scores of syndrome factors were calculated in simulation. A logistics regression model was also estimated for evaluating the consistency between the quantitative result and the clinical diagnosis of syndrome from clinical practitioners.
Result
With 337 patients enrolled and assessed, the 14-item questionnaire was evaluated to be with adequate validity and reliability (Cronbach's alpha indices = 0.87, AIC = 195.827, BIC = 348.631, CFI = 0.921, RMR = 0.006, GFI = 0.954, RMSEA = 0.048, and χ2/df = 1.782). With adequate factor loadings of symptoms on related syndrome factor, the instrument was evaluated with preliminary interpretation and was suitable for evaluating patients with moderate severity of the spleen and kidney deficiency syndrome.
Conclusion
Setting typical symptoms of MG together with systemic discomforts in a computerized adaptive test on the basis of MIRT, this study proposed an innovative research paradigm for quantifying individual condition in the perspective of TCM with application of interdisciplinary approaches.
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