Sampling Plan and Patient Characteristics of the PROMIS Pediatrics Large-Scale Survey

PURPOSE: This paper describes a large-scale administration of the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) pediatric items to evaluate measurement characteristics. METHODS: Each child completed one of seven test forms containing items from a pool of 293 PROMIS items and four legacy scales. PROMIS items covered six domains (physical function, emotional distress, social role relationship, fatigue, pain, and asthma). RESULTS: From January 2007 to May 2008, 4,129 children aged 8-17 were enrolled. The sample was 51% female, 55% aged 8-12, 42% minority race and 17% were Hispanic ethnicity. Approximately, 35% of the children participating in the survey consulted a clinician for a chronic illness diagnosis or treatment within 6 months prior to study enrollment. CONCLUSIONS: The final PROMIS pediatric item banks include physical function (n = 52 items), emotional distress (n = 35 items), social role relationships (n = 15 items), fatigue (n = 34 items), pain (n = 13 items), and asthma (n = 17 items). The initial calibration data were provided by a diverse set of children with varying health states (e.g., children with a variety of common chronic illnesses) and racial/ethnic backgrounds.