Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33909187›Full record

ArticleQuality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation2021

Response shift in patient-reported outcomes: definition, theory, and a revised model.

Antoine Vanier, Frans J Oort, Leah McClimans, Nikki Ow, Bernice G Gulek, Jan R Böhnke, Mirjam Sprangers, Véronique Sébille, Nancy Mayo, Response Shift - in Sync Working Group

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In one paragraph

Article in Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 85 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
85citing papers in PubMed, 5 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

85 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Impact of response shift on change in patient-reported outcomes: a systematic review.Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation · 2026
    Pooled it
  2. Response shift results of quantitative research using patient-reported outcome measures: a meta-regression analysis.Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation · 2025
    Pooled it
  3. Pooled it
  4. Response shift results of quantitative research using patient-reported outcome measures: a descriptive systematic review.Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation · 2024
    Pooled it
  5. Pooled it
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  13. Response shift as a common mechanism linking quality of life gains and reduced aggressive care in early palliative care trials.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2026
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  16. Comment on "Association between child ADHD and caregivers' mental health and health-related quality of life: results from a population-based study".Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation · 2026
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  19. Designing oncology-specific patient-reported outcome dashboards: end-user preferences for reference curve inclusion and visualization in pediatric cancer care.Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation · 2026
    Article
  20. Article

25 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Antoine VanierInserm - University of Nantes - University of Tours, UMR 1246 Sphere "Methods in Patient-Centered Outcomes and Health Research", Nantes, France. antoine.vanier@univ-nantes.fr.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6033-9282
Frans J OortUniversity of Amsterdam, Research Institute of Child Development and Education, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Leah McClimansDepartment of Philosophy, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA.
Nikki OwCenter for Outcomes Research and Evaluation, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
Bernice G GulekHarborview Medical Center, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
Jan R BöhnkeSchool of Health Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK.
Mirjam SprangersDepartment of Medical Psychology, Location AMC, Research Institute Amsterdam Public Health, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Véronique SébilleInserm - University of Nantes - University of Tours, UMR 1246 Sphere "Methods in Patient-Centered Outcomes and Health Research", Nantes, France.
Nancy MayoCenter for Outcomes Research and Evaluation, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
Response Shift - in Sync Working Group

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeThe extant response shift definitions and theoretical response shift models, while helpful, also introduce predicaments and theoretical debates continue. To address these predicaments and stimulate empirical research, we propose a more specific formal definition of response shift and a revised theoretical model.

methodsThis work is an international collaborative effort and involved a critical assessment of the literature.

resultsThree main predicaments were identified. First, the formal definitions of response shift need further specification and clarification. Second, previous models were focused on explaining change in the construct intended to be measured rather than explaining the construct at multiple time points and neglected the importance of using at least two time points to investigate response shift. Third, extant models do not explicitly distinguish the measure from the construct. Here we define response shift as an effect occurring whenever observed change (e.g., change in patient-reported outcome measures (PROM) scores) is not fully explained by target change (i.e., change in the construct intended to be measured). The revised model distinguishes the measure (e.g., PROM) from the underlying target construct (e.g., quality of life) at two time points. The major plausible paths are delineated, and the underlying assumptions of this model are explicated.

conclusionIt is our hope that this refined definition and model are useful in the further development of response shift theory. The model with its explicit list of assumptions and hypothesized relationships lends itself for critical, empirical examination. Future studies are needed to empirically test the assumptions and hypothesized relationships.

Indexed as

Patient Reported Outcome MeasuresQuality of LifeHumansDefinitionModelPatient-reported outcomesPsychometricsQuality of lifeResponse shiftTheory

Identifiers

PMID33909187
PMCPMC8602159

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.