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Development of Quality of Life Tool for TBI

Completed
Conditions
Traumatic Brain Injury
Registration Number
NCT00714428
Lead Sponsor
US Department of Veterans Affairs
Brief Summary

Objectives: The ultimate goal of this research program is to promote seamless, comprehensive care for Operation Enduring Freedom/ Operation Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF) veterans. The purpose of this study is to develop a psychometrically sound tool to measure health-related quality of life (HRQOL) applicable to wounded warriors with TBI (deployment-related TBI).

Detailed Description

Specific short-term objectives for this study include:

O1: Identify a parsimonious set of domains that capture HRQOL in deployment-related TBI.

O2: Construct and refine clinically-relevant HRQOL of life item banks for deployment-related TBI, in order to supplement the TBI-QOL and generic Neuro-QOL banks and extend the TBI/Neuro-QOL projects to address the unique issues facing wounded warriors with TBI.

O3:Utilize Item Response Theory methodology to refine and calibrate targeted and generic item banks for use with deployment-related TBI.

O4:Develop a short form, refining item sets and developing algorithms for future development of a computerized adaptive test.

Research Design: The proposed three-year prospective study will employ a mixed methods research design in three stages. Combining qualitative and quantitative methods maximizes the ability of the study team to design and validate a clinically sensitive HRQOL measure for wounded warriors with deployment-related TBI. Furthermore, this approach is consistent with the FDA's draft guidance on patient reported outcome (PRO) measures development.

Phase 1: Qualitative data obtained from focus groups of veterans and VA providers will be used to (a) evaluate the generic Neuro-QOL domains and items for relevance and appropriateness for use in deployment-related TBI and (b) identify new HRQOL domains and items specific to deployment-related TBI. \[Objective #1\] Phase 2: The generic and specific item banks will be field tested in a large sample of veterans with deployment-related TBI recruited from all 4 VA Polytrauma Rehabilitation Centers (PRCs). \[Objective #2\] Phase 3: Psychometric analyses, including item response theory (IRT) of field test data will be completed. The psychometric properties of the scale will be evaluated empirically. A short form will be developed, refining item sets and developing algorithms for future development of a computerized adaptive test (CAT). \[Objectives #3 \& 4\]

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
COMPLETED
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
485
Inclusion Criteria
  • enrolled in VA and diagnosed with a deployment-related TBI documented in computerized patient record system (CPRS)
  • at least one year post injury
  • greater than 18 years of age
  • able to follow two step commands and
  • English speaking

Clinicians Inclusion Criteria:

  • Clinicians, including:

    • physicians
    • psychologists
    • nurses
    • social workers
    • therapists who have provided care to wounded warriors with deployment-related TBI for at least three years
Exclusion Criteria

Veterans Exclusion criteria include:

  • those veterans who are not yet discharged from initial rehabilitation (want patients to experience community based living environment)
  • living in the community less than three months post initial rehabilitation, including residential care or long term care living environments

No exclusion criteria for the clinicians

Study & Design

Study Type
OBSERVATIONAL
Study Design
Not specified
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
development of an outcomes measureone time
Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod

Trial Locations

Locations (4)

VA Medical Center, Minneapolis

🇺🇸

Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States

James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital

🇺🇸

Tampa, Florida, United States

Hunter Holmes McGuire VA Medical Center

🇺🇸

Richmond, Virginia, United States

VA Palo Alto Health Care System

🇺🇸

Palo Alto, California, United States

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