Abstract

HENAO LEMA, Claudia Patricia  and  PEREZ PARRA, Julio Ernesto. A prediction model for establishing the disability degree in adults with spinal cord injury: results based on WHO-DAS II perspective. Rev. Cienc. Salud [online]. 2011, vol.9, n.2, pp.159-172. ISSN 1692-7273.

Objective: To establish a prediction model of the degree of disability in adults with Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) based on the use of the WHO-DAS II. Methods: The disability degree was correlated with three variable groups: clinical, sociodemographic and those related with rehabilitation services. A model of multiple linear regression was built to predict disability. 45 people with SCI exhibiting diverse etiology, neurological level and completeness participated. Patients were older than 18 and they had more than a six-month post-injury. The WHO-DAS II and the ASIA impairment scale (AIS) were used. Results: Variables that evidenced a significant relationship with disability were the following: occupational situation, type of affiliation to the public health care system, injury evolution time, neurological level, partial preservation zone, AIS motor and sensory scores and number of clinical complications during the last year. Complications significantly associated to disability were joint pain, urinary infections, intestinal problems and autonomic disreflexia. None of the variables related to rehabilitation services showed significant association with disability. The disability degree exhibited significant differences in favor of the groups that received the following services: assistive devices supply and vocational, job or educational counseling. Conclusions: The best prediction disability model in adults with SCI with more than six months post-injury was built with variables of injury evolution time, AIS sensory score and injury-related unemployment.

Keywords : Spinal cord injuries; disability evaluation; linear models.

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