Abstract
OBJECTIVE
To develop an outcomes instrument that assesses observations that can be reliably reported by caregivers and can be used to assess health of infants with a cleft lip or cleft lip and cleft palate (CL±P) and impacts of treatments.
DESIGN
Cross-sectional, mixed methods study.
SETTING
Caregivers and health-care providers were recruited from 3 academic craniofacial centers and national advertisements. Most interviews were conducted by telephone, and surveys were completed online.
PARTICIPANTS
Caregivers had a child less than 3 years of age with CL±P and spoke either English or Spanish. Health-care providers were members of a cleft team. Caregivers (n = 492) and health-care professionals (n = 75) participated in at least one component of this study.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S)
Caregivers and health-care providers participated in tasks related to instrument development: concept elicitation for items within relevant health domains, prioritization of items, and item review.
RESULTS
We identified 295 observations of infant well-being across 9 health areas. Research staff and specialists evaluated items for clarity, specificity to CL±P, and responsiveness to treatment. Caregivers and health-care providers rated the resulting list of 104 observations and developed the final instrument of 65 items.
CONCLUSIONS
In this phase of development of the Infant with Clefts Observation Outcomes (iCOO) instrument, items were developed to collect caregiver observations about indicators of children's health and well-being across multiple domains allowing for psychometric testing, sensitivity to changes associated with treatment, and documentation of the effects of treatment.
Collapse