Development of a self-report measure of empowerment along the hearing health journey: a content evaluation study

Abstract

Objective To conduct the first phases in the development of a self-report measure of empowerment on the hearing health journey, specifically, item generation and content evaluation of the initial pool of items generated. Design A content expert panel survey and cognitive interviews were conducted. Descriptive statistics were obtained for the quantitative data, and the cognitive interviews were analysed using thematic analysis. Study sample Eleven researchers and clinicians participated in the content expert surveys. Sixteen experienced hearing aid users participated in the cognitive interviews, recruited from the USA and Australia. Results The items underwent five iterations based on feedback from the survey and interview data. This resulted in a set of 33 quality-tested potential survey items that were rated highly for relevance (mean = 3.96), clarity (mean = 3.70) and fit to dimensions of empowerment (mean = 3.92) (scale 0-4, where 4 was the maximum rating). Conclusions Involving stakeholders in item generation and content evaluation increased relevance, clarity, fit to dimension, comprehensiveness, and acceptability of the items. This preliminary version of the 33-item measure underwent further psychometric refinement (Rasch analysis and traditional classical test theory testing) to validate it for clinical and research use (reported separately).