Clinicians and researchers in the health sciences are frequently called upon to measure their patients' subjective states, for example, attitudes, feelings, quality of life, educational achievement and aptitude, and learning style. This sixth edition of Health Measurement Scales enables both groups to develop scales to measure non-tangible health outcomes, and better evaluate and differentiate among existing tools. Health Measurement Scales is the ultimate guide to developing and validating measurement scales that are used in the health sciences. The book covers how the individual items are developed; various biases that can affect responses (e.g., social desirability, yea-saying, framing); various response options; how to select the best items in the set; how to combine them into a scale; and how to determine the reliability and validity of the scale. Fully updated to reflect the latest research in the field, the sixth edition includes new and non-traditional methods for administering scales, updated information on generalizability theory and item response theory, and integration of qualitative research methods into scale design and testing. The book concludes with a discussion of ethical considerations as well as guidelines for reporting the results of the scale development process.

Appendices include a comprehensive guide to finding existing scales, a brief introduction to exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, and a checklist for users to evaluate whether an existing scale is suitable for their use. This book is a must-read for anyone dealing with surveys, questionnaires, and any kind of subjective measurement.