Item response theory for before-after designs in interprofessional education research.

Abstract

Although Item Response Theory (IRT) has been recommended for helping advance interprofessional education (IPE) research, its use remains limited. This may be partly explained by potential misconceptions regarding IRT`s "limitation" to cross-sectional data. The aim of this study is to demonstrate how Item Response Theory (IRT) can be applied effectively in before-and-after designs in IPE research. Specifically, a two-week before-after design with survey methodology using the Extended Professional Identity Scale (EPIS), an interprofessional identity measure, was conducted among n = 146 mixed health-science students. Results indicated that EPIS increased significantly before-after intervention by .74 standardised mean differences, t146 = 7.73, p < .05. The before-after IRT model also gave a test-retest reliability estimate of .60 which was considered acceptable. Comparison of the IRT model with a conventional paired-t-test indicated similar effect size estimates of Cohen's d = .56 and .54, respectively. We demonstrate IRT`s flexibility to before-after studies in IPE. Application of this model can yield accurate changes in target IPE constructs, and it is advantageous to classical test theory vis-à-vis baseline differences.