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Abstract
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OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to analyze the relationship between a single question on quality of life and composite Graded Symptom Checklist (GSC) score in a population of 350 individuals diagnosed with a concussion seeking treatment at an outpatient neurorehabilitation center.
BACKGROUND: While the majority of people subjected to a concussion recover within the first two weeks of injury, up to 30% experience persistent symptoms lasting for months. Symptoms of concussion include dizziness, fatigue, and balance problems. These symptoms may have consequences that affect the quality of life of the individual.
DESIGN/METHODS: From July 2016 to April 2020, 350 individuals diagnosed with a concussion sought treatment an outpatient rehabilitation center. Questionnaire-based symptom severity using the GSC was collected. Additionally, answers to a single question on "quality of life" on a modified Visual Analog Scale (0-100) were also collected. A linear regression analysis was performed between quality of life score and GSC composite score in Graphpad PRISM v. 8.4.3.
RESULTS are reported as R2-value, slope and y-intercept (95% confidence intervals) and an alpha level of 0.05 was considered statistically significant (slope different from 0).
RESULTS: The regression analysis showed a significant negative relationship with an R2-value of 0.26 between quality of life and GSC score (p < 0.0001) representing a weak effect size. The regression equation slope and y-intercept were -0.6385 (95% CI: -0.7516 to -0.5254) and 89.15 (95% CI: 83.15 to 95.16), respectively.
CONCLUSIONS: The present study showed a significant, albeit weak, relationship between quality of life and GSC score. Short questions that provide meaningful insight into the wellbeing of the patient allow for long distance progress monitoring and follow-up consultations. More studies are needed to establish exactly what questions provide the best possible information as the present study is limited by its retrospective design using chart review data.
Language: en |