Estimating Skin Cancer Risk: Evaluating Mobile Computer-Adaptive Testing

Results: we found that use of cat led to smaller person standard error of the estimated measure than nat,with substantially higher efficiency but no loss of precision,reducing response burden by 48%,66%,and 66% for dichotomous,rating scale model,and pcm models,respectively.conclusions: cat-based administrations of the skin cancer risk scale could substantially reduce participant burden without compromising measurement precision. a mobile computer adaptive test was developed to help people efficiently assess their skin cancer risk.background: response burden is a major detriment to questionnaire completion rates. computer adaptive testing may offer advantages over non-adaptive testing,including reduction of numbers of items required for precise measurement.objective: our aim was to compare the efficiency of non-adaptive (nat) and computer adaptive testing (cat) facilitated by partial credit model (pcm)-derived calibration to estimate skin cancer risk.methods: we used a random sample from a population-based australian cohort study of skin cancer risk (n=43,794). all 30 items of the skin cancer risk scale were calibrated with the rasch pcm. a total of 1000 cases generated following a normal distribution (mean [sd] 0 [1]) were simulated using three rasch models with three fixed-item (dichotomous,rating scale,and partial credit) scenarios,respectively. we calculated the comparative efficiency and precision of cat and nat (shortening of questionnaire length and the count difference number ratio less than 5% using independent t tests).