Our CATs deliver precise measurement
of eye and vision-specific quality of life, fast.
Helping researchers, clinicians and clinical trial teams evaluate the effectiveness of treatment therapies
and interventions from the patient’s perspective.
What is CAT?
CAT is a method of administering items (questions) from calibrated item banks.
Each item bank measures a subjective construct (e.g. ‘activity limitation’) and usually contains far more items than would normally be found in a paper-pencil questionnaire.
Using an algorithm based on artificial intelligence, the CAT system iteratively select an item from the bank that most closely targets the person’s quality of life at that point in the test.
This “smart-technology” means that quality of life scores are generated quickly, using only a subset of the available items.
Benefits of CAT
SAVES TIME
CAT requires fewer items and 50-90% less time to arrive at equally precise scores, reducing burden for busy clinics and clinical trials with a large testing protocol.
PERSONALISED
With items tailored to a person’s level of the construct, testing is personalised. This increases test-takers’ motivation and improves data quality.
FLEXIBLE
New items can be added to align with innovations in disease management or technology, and out of date items can be removed without threatening test validity. This ensures items remain relevant.
REAL-TIME FEEDBACK
CAT mitigates the need for data entry and manual calculation of scores by providing real-time feedback, facilitating the integration of results promptly into the therapeutic process.
Find out more about the benefits of computerized adaptive tests here
Our CATs
Our CATs are run using the Concerto online, open-source adaptive platform developed by the University of Cambridge. Click here for more information about Concerto.
RetCAT
RetCAT measures the impact of diabetic retinopathy (DR) and diabetic macular edema (DME), and associated vision loss and DR/DME treatments on 10 domains of quality of life.
IVI-CAT
IVI-CAT measures the impact of vision impairment on 3 domains of vision-related quality of life.
GlauCAT
GlauCAT measures the impact of glaucoma, associated vision impairment, and glaucoma treatments on 12 domains of quality of life.
MyoCAT
MyoCAT measures the impact of the different forms of myopia (simple, high and pathologic), and their associated vision impairment and interventions on quality of life.
MacCAT
MacCAT measures the impact of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), associated vision impairment, and AMD treatments on quality of life.
DiabCAT
DiabCAT measures the impact of diabetes, diabetes complications, and diabetes treatments and management on quality of life.
CAT development
Our CATs are developed and validated using a multi-staged, mixed-methods process.
Phase 1
Domain & item development
Qualitative interviews with patients and experts in the field.
Phase 2
Content
refinement
Expert panel discussions and cognitive interviews with patients.
Phase 3
Pilot
testing
Psychometric testing of item banks using data from a large clinical sample of patients.
Phase 4
Evaluation
CAT platform development and testing in a clinical sample of patients.
Phase 5
Implementation
Research, clinical trial, and healthcare implementation.