IBD KNOWLEDGE QUESTIONNAIRE

Abstract

Specific Aim: Our study provides preliminary validation of the IBD Knowledge Questionnaire; a brief measure that assesses one's knowledge of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Background: There is no instrument available to assess the knowledge of IBD. In our previous work we found sibling (sib) functioning correlates with knowledge of IBD, but the instrument was not validated. Method: We designed a disease-specific, self-administered questionnaire (Q) consisting of 44 questions (two questions were repeated twice each to assess the sensitivity of this measure). Q was divided into seven categories; systemic symptoms, bowel symptoms, medications, nutrition, disease itself, growth and quality of life. The Q was administered to pediatric (ped) gastroenterologists (GI), pediatricians, ped/non ped residents, medical students, parents of IBD affected families, parents of non-IBD affected families by mass email or paper version. Statistical methods included one-way ANOVA with Tukey's studentized range test for multiple comparisons of the scores among the seven types of responders, Cronbach's alpha for assessing consistency of items within categories, and Cohen's kappa for assessing agreement among replicated items. Results: Ped GI scored the highest (mean = 42.1) and parents of non-affected families scored the lowest (mean = 31.5), which was statistically significant. Parents of affected families scored just as well as non-pediatric residents and better than medical students, although not significantly (means of 38.7, 38.4, and 36.2, respectively). Cronbach alpha statistics ranged between 0.35 and 0.67, indicating good consistency of items within categories. Kappa statistics ranged between 0.81 and 0.89, indicating excellent agreement among replicated items on the Q. Conclusion: This pilot study demonstrates that the proposed IBD Knowledge Questionnaire delineates very well among categories of individuals with different levels of knowledge, and has potential as a tool for ascertaining an individual's knowledge about pediatric IBD.