Citation

Goulet J, Richard-Denis A, Thompson C, Mac-Thiong JM. Am. J. Phys. Med. Rehabil. 2019; 98(1): 14-19.

Affiliation

Sainte-Justine University Hospital Research Center, 3175 Chemin de la Côte-Sainte-Catherine, Montréal, Quebec, H3T 1C5, Canada.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, Lippincott Williams and Wilkins)

DOI

10.1097/PHM.0000000000001006

PMID

30157080

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to explore the relationships between specific functional abilities assessed from the 3 version of the Spinal Cord Injury Measure (SCIM), and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) following a traumatic spinal cord injury (tSCI).

DESIGN: A prospective cohort of 195 patients that had sustained a tSCI from C1 to L1, and consecutively admitted to a single Level 1 SCI-specialized trauma center between April 2010 and September 2016 was studied. Correlation coefficients were calculated between SCIM scores and SF-36v2 summary scores (Physical component score, PCS; Mental component score, MCS).

RESULTS: The total SCIM score correlated moderately with the PCS in the entire cohort, correlated strongly with PCS in tetraplegics, did not correlate with PCS in paraplegics, and did not correlate with MCS. Mobility subgroup and individual items scores showed the strongest correlations with the PCS in the entire cohort, followed by self-care and sphincter management.

CONCLUSION: This work is significant being the first to determine which specific functional abilities are mostly related to HRQoL, and highlights the differences between tetraplegic and paraplegic patients. Our findings could help clinicians to guide rehabilitation plan based on importance of specific functional abilities in relationship with the HRQoL.

Language: en