Item analysis of the Quebec user evaluation of satisfaction with assistivetechnology (QUEST)

The Quebec User Evaluation of Satisfaction with Assistive Technology (QUEST ) is an outcomes assessment tool designed to measure satisfaction with assi stive technology in a structured and standardized way. The purpose of this: article is to present the results of an analysis of the 24 items comprisin g QUEST and to explain how a subset of items demonstrating optimal measurem ent performance was selected. The criteria against which the items were mea sured were general acceptability, content validity, contribution to interna l consistency, test-retest stability, and sensitivity. The items that ranke d best in terms of these measurement properties were submitted to factorial analysis in order to complete the item selection. The first series of anal yses reduced the item pool approximately by half, and the second series of analyses led to the final selection of 12 items. Factor analysis results su ggested a bidimensional structure of satisfaction with assistive technology related to the assistive technology device (eight items) and services (fou r items). The 12-item revised version that will result from this study shou ld prove to be a reliable and valid instrument for measuring outcomes in th e field of assistive technology.