Development of a unidimensional composite measure of neuropsychological functioning in older cardiac surgery patients with good measurement precision

J Clin Exp Neuropsychol. 2010 Dec;32(10):1041-9. doi: 10.1080/13803391003662728.

Abstract

The objective of this analysis was to develop a measure of neuropsychological performance for cardiac surgery and to assess its psychometric properties. Older patients (n = 210) underwent a neuropsychological battery using nine assessments. The number of factors was identified with variable reduction methods. Factor analysis methods based on item response theory were used to evaluate the measure. Modified parallel analysis supported a single factor, and the battery formed an internally consistent set (coefficient alpha = .82). The developed measure provided a reliable, continuous measure (reliability > .90) across a broad range of performance (-1.5 SDs to +1.0 SDs) with minimal ceiling and floor effects.

Publication types

  • Clinical Trial
  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Cardiac Surgical Procedures / psychology*
  • Coronary Artery Bypass / psychology
  • Factor Analysis, Statistical
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Longitudinal Studies
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Models, Statistical
  • Neuropsychological Tests*
  • Prospective Studies
  • Psychometrics
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Surveys and Questionnaires