Outcome measures in spinal cord injury: recent assessments and recommendations for future directions

M S Alexander, K D Anderson, Fin Biering-Sørensen, A R Blight, R Brannon, T N Bryce, G Creasey, A Catz, A Curt, W Donovan, J Ditunno, P Ellaway, N B Finnerup, D E Graves, B A Haynes, A W Heinemann, A B Jackson, M V Johnston, C Z Kalpakjian, N KleitmanA Krassioukov, K Krogh, D Lammertse, S Magasi, M J Mulcahey, B Schurch, A Sherwood, J D Steeves, S Stiens, D S Tulsky, H J A van Hedel, G Whiteneck

    133 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Study design:Review by the spinal cord outcomes partnership endeavor (SCOPE), which is a broad-based international consortium of scientists and clinical researchers representing academic institutions, industry, government agencies, not-for-profit organizations and foundations. Objectives:Assessment of current and evolving tools for evaluating human spinal cord injury (SCI) outcomes for both clinical diagnosis and clinical research studies. Methods:a framework for the appraisal of evidence of metric properties was used to examine outcome tools or tests for accuracy, sensitivity, reliability and validity for human SCI. Results:Imaging, neurological, functional, autonomic, sexual health, bladder/bowel, pain and psychosocial tools were evaluated. Several specific tools for human SCI studies have or are being developed to allow the more accurate determination for a clinically meaningful benefit (improvement in functional outcome or quality of life) being achieved as a result of a therapeutic intervention. Conclusion:Significant progress has been made, but further validation studies are required to identify the most appropriate tools for specific targets in a human SCI study or clinical trial.
    Original languageEnglish
    JournalSpinal Cord
    Volume47
    Issue number8
    Pages (from-to)582-91
    Number of pages10
    ISSN1362-4393
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2009

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'Outcome measures in spinal cord injury: recent assessments and recommendations for future directions'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this