Course Introductory course in questionnaire technique and clinimetrics

The course P255/11 Introductory course in questionnaire technique and clinimetrics is being offered by the Graduate School of Health, Aarhus University, fall 2026.

Criteria for participation: University degree in medicine, chiropractic, dentistry, nursing, or Master’s degree in other fields and/or postgraduate research fellows (PhD students and research-year medical students).

Requirements for participation: None

Aim: The course aims to introduce participants to the basics of clinimetric testing of questionnaires.

Learning outcomes: 

At the end of the course the participants will:

• Understand the concepts of conceptualisation and operationalisation
• Be familiar with the key concepts in questionnaire research
• Know the basics of questionnaire design and item writing
• Have basic knowledge of developing a new measurement instrument
• Be able to find and select appropriate outcome measures
• Be able to translate and culturally adapt an international questionnaire into Danish
• Have a basic understanding of the COSMIN taxonomy
• Have a basic understanding of the measurement properties of validity, reliability, responsiveness and interpretation
• Know the requirements for evaluating questionnaires for risk of bias

Workload: The expected total workload for the course is 35 hours.

Content: The course provides an introduction to the science of measurements in medicine. Participants will learn about basic concepts in questionnaire research, including the structure and design of questionnaires, conceptual models and frameworks, dimensionality, and item formulation. Further topics include selecting outcome measures for clinical studies, translating and culturally adapting questionnaires, and the initial steps in developing a new measurement instrument. The COSMIN taxonomy will be introduced, covering validity, reliability, responsiveness, interpretability, and risk of bias. Time is also set aside for addressing questions related to participants’ individual projects.

The course is followed by the “Advanced Course in Questionnaire Technique and Clinimetrics,” offered annually at SDU or AU.

Instructors: Alice Ørts Ph.D.; Eva Ørnbøl M.Sc., statistician; Henrik Hein Lauridsen Ph.D.

Venue: Aarhus University, Aarhus (other)

Participation in the course is without cost for:

• PhD students, Health Research Year students from Aarhus University
• PhD students enrolled at partner universities of the Nordoc collaboration
• PhD students from other institutions in the open market agreement for PhD courses

Course dates:

• 05 October 2026 09:00 - 16:00
• 19 October 2026 09:00 - 16:00
• 26 October 2026 09:00 - 15:00