Does Mode of Survey Administration Matter? Using Measurement Invariance to Validate the Mail and Telephone Versions of the Bereaved Family Survey

ContextThe Veterans Health Administration evaluates outcomes of end-of-life (EOL) care using the Bereaved Family Survey (BFS). Originally, the BFS was administered as a telephone survey but was transitioned to a mail survey beginning October 2012. The transition necessitated an evaluation of the tool's validity using this new mode of administration.ObjectivesThe objective of this study was to validate the mail version and to test for measurement invariance (MI) across the two administration modes.MethodsTelephone and mail versions of the BFS were validated separately between October 2009 and September 2013. MI was evaluated using a series of confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs). Construct validity was evaluated by calculating Cronbach alpha coefficients and examining differences between BFS factor scores for groups with and without quality care indicators (e.g., receipt of a palliative care consult).ResultsOur sample consisted of 35,682 decedent BFS scores (27,109 telephone surveys; 8573 mail surveys). BFS item scores were slightly skewed, with a predominance of higher scores for both the telephone and mail version. The average missing rate for each BFS item was minimal, just 2% for each version. The CFA models demonstrated dimensional, configural, metric, and factor mean invariance across administration modes. BFS factor scores were consistently higher when a patient received EOL quality care indicators regardless of mode of administration.ConclusionThese findings demonstrate the MI and robust psychometric properties for the BFS across administration modes.