Evaluating Family Needs Surveys: Do Standard Measures of Reliability and Validity Tell us What we Want to Know?

Abstract

The search for psychometrically sound instruments that can help determine family needs, concerns, and priorities has been accompanied by an equally significant search for effective methods that can evaluate the usefulness of these types of instruments. While standard techniques provide some indication of psychometric efficacy, it is only through less conventional methods of assessing validity and reliability that the true effectiveness of family needs surveys can be determined. In this paper, we review standard methods for assessing the utility of family needs surveys, suggest alternative strategies, and discuss the specific questions of utility that alternative strategies address.