A standardized measure of neurological dysfunction specifically designed for TBI currently does not exist and the lack of assessment of this domain represents a substantial gap. To address this, the Neurological Outcome Scale for Traumatic Brain Injury (NOS-TBI) was developed for TBI outcomes research through the addition to and modification of items specifically relevant to patients with TBI based on the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale. In a sample of 50 participants (mean age = 33.3, SD = 12.9) < 18 months (mean = 3.1, SD = 3.2) following moderate (n=8) to severe (n = 42) TBI, internal consistency of the NOS-TBI was high (Cronbach's alpha = 0.942). Test-retest reliability also was high (rho = .97, p < .0001), and individual item kappas between independent raters were excellent ranging from .83 to 1.0. Overall interrater agreement between independent raters (Kendall's Coefficient of Concordance) for the NOS-TBI total score was excellent (W = .995). Convergent validity was demonstrated through significant Spearman rank-order correlations between the NOS-TBI and concurrently administered Disability Rating Scale (rho = .75, p < .0001), Rancho Los Amigos Scale (rho = -.60, p < .0001), Supervision Rating Scale (rho = .59, p < .0001), and the FIM (rho= -.68, p < .0001). These results suggest that the NOS-TBI is a reliable and valid measure of neurological functioning in patients with moderate to severe TBI.
Language: en
", language="en", issn="0897-7151", doi="10.1089/neu.2009.1195", url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1089/neu.2009.1195" }