한국판 Western Ontario MacMaster(WOMAC)의 Rasch분석

Rasch Analysis of the Korean Western Ontario McMaster (KWOMAC): In the Out-Patients Over 65 Years With Osteoarthritis of the Knee

The Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) is a valid and widely used instrument for the assessment of osteoarthritis patients. In this study, data was obtained from the out-patients with painful osteoarthritis of the knee. One hundred-three out-patients were interviewed by physical therapists. In an exploratory way, a Korean version of the KWOMAC was analyzed for unidimensionality, item separation, and item difficulty using the Winsteps programs. Ninety-five patients with osteoarthritis of the knee over 65 years were analyzed for Rash analysis. In the analysis several functional items poorly fit to the model. These items included "heavy domestic duties" and "standing". In the pain domain, one item ("at night while in bed") did not fit the model. In the stiffness domain one item ("after sitting, lying, or resting later in the day") did not fit the model. Although 4 items from the 3 domains (pain, stiffness, function domain) do not fit well, the KWOMAC domains were confirmed by Rasch analysis. Thus the KWOMAC needs to be further examined before it can be used to properly determine the health status of the elderly with OA.