Assessing reliability and validity measures in managed care studies.

BACKGROUND

To review the reliability and validity literature and develop an understanding of these concepts as applied to managed care studies.

RESULTS

Reliability is a test of how well an instrument measures the same input at varying times and under varying conditions. Validity is a test of how accurately an instrument measures what one believes is being measured.

METHODS

A review of reliability and validity instructional material was conducted.

CONCLUSIONS

Studies of managed care practices and programs abound. However, many of these studies utilize measurement instruments that were developed for other purposes or for a population other than the one being sampled. In other cases, instruments have been developed without any testing of the instrument's performance. The lack of reliability and validity information may limit the value of these studies. This is particularly true when data are collected for one purpose and used for another. The usefulness of certain studies without reliability and validity measures is questionable, especially in cases where the literature contradicts itself