Article

Accurate descriptions of the impact of spinal cord injury (SCI)-related
secondary health conditions (SHCs) on quality of life (QoL) are important to help
guide the direction of resources and evaluation of therapies. However, selecting
an appropriate outcome tool can be a challenge due to several clinical,
theoretical and measurement issues. In order to help improve practices related to
QoL measurement, a web-based Participation and QoL (PAR-QoL) tool-kit was
designed to support researchers and clinicians with the outcome measure selection
process. METHOD: The content of the PAR-QoL website
( www.parqol.com ) was
developed through a series of systematic reviews of the SHC literature. Outcome
tools identified in the studies were classified using Dijker's (2005) theoretical
framework. RESULTS: A total of 199 studies were identified and categorized across
eight different SHCs. Measures from the studies were extrapolated, and details
regarding their [1] sensitivity to SHC impact [2], psychometric properties for
SCI and [3] underlying QoL constructs were summarized onto a website.
CONCLUSIONS: A better understanding of SHC impact on QoL will improve the quality
of research, which in turn may provide better evidence for securing the necessary
resources to help persons with SCI manage their health.

Langue : ANGLAIS