Determining client cognitive status following mild traumatic brain injury

Background: People with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) commonly experience cognitive impairments. Occupational therapists working in acute general hospitals in Australia routinely access client Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) scores, and assess cognitive status using standardized tools and by observing...

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Main Authors: Hobson, E., Lannin, N., Taylor, A., Farquhar, M., Morarty, J., Unsworth, Carolyn
Format: Journal Article
Published: Informa Healthcare 2016
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/29637
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author Hobson, E.
Lannin, N.
Taylor, A.
Farquhar, M.
Morarty, J.
Unsworth, Carolyn
author_facet Hobson, E.
Lannin, N.
Taylor, A.
Farquhar, M.
Morarty, J.
Unsworth, Carolyn
author_sort Hobson, E.
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description Background: People with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) commonly experience cognitive impairments. Occupational therapists working in acute general hospitals in Australia routinely access client Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) scores, and assess cognitive status using standardized tools and by observing basic activity of daily living (ADL) performance. However, limited evidence exists to identify the best assessment(s) to determine client cognitive status. Aim/objectives: To determine whether cognitive status assessed by GCS score and the Cognistat are predictive of basic ADL performance among clients with mTBI in an acute general hospital and make inferences concerning the clinical utility of these assessment tools. Material and methods: Retrospective analysis of medical record data on demographics, Cognistat, GCS, and modified Barthel Index (MBI) using descriptive statistics, chi-square tests and linear regression. Results: Data analysis of 166 participants demonstrated that no associations exist between GCS and Cognistat scores, or Cognistat scores and MBI dependency level. The presence of co-morbid multi-trauma injuries and length of stay were the only variables that significantly predicted MBI dependency level. Conclusion and significance: While the MBI scores are of value in identifying clients with difficulty in basic ADLs, Cognistat and GCS scores are of limited use in differentiating client levels of cognitive impairment and the authors caution against the routine administration of the Cognistat following mTBI. Further research is required to identify more suitable assessments for use with a mTBI population.
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-296372017-09-13T15:26:25Z Determining client cognitive status following mild traumatic brain injury Hobson, E. Lannin, N. Taylor, A. Farquhar, M. Morarty, J. Unsworth, Carolyn Background: People with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) commonly experience cognitive impairments. Occupational therapists working in acute general hospitals in Australia routinely access client Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) scores, and assess cognitive status using standardized tools and by observing basic activity of daily living (ADL) performance. However, limited evidence exists to identify the best assessment(s) to determine client cognitive status. Aim/objectives: To determine whether cognitive status assessed by GCS score and the Cognistat are predictive of basic ADL performance among clients with mTBI in an acute general hospital and make inferences concerning the clinical utility of these assessment tools. Material and methods: Retrospective analysis of medical record data on demographics, Cognistat, GCS, and modified Barthel Index (MBI) using descriptive statistics, chi-square tests and linear regression. Results: Data analysis of 166 participants demonstrated that no associations exist between GCS and Cognistat scores, or Cognistat scores and MBI dependency level. The presence of co-morbid multi-trauma injuries and length of stay were the only variables that significantly predicted MBI dependency level. Conclusion and significance: While the MBI scores are of value in identifying clients with difficulty in basic ADLs, Cognistat and GCS scores are of limited use in differentiating client levels of cognitive impairment and the authors caution against the routine administration of the Cognistat following mTBI. Further research is required to identify more suitable assessments for use with a mTBI population. 2016 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/29637 10.3109/11038128.2015.1082622 Informa Healthcare restricted
spellingShingle Hobson, E.
Lannin, N.
Taylor, A.
Farquhar, M.
Morarty, J.
Unsworth, Carolyn
Determining client cognitive status following mild traumatic brain injury
title Determining client cognitive status following mild traumatic brain injury
title_full Determining client cognitive status following mild traumatic brain injury
title_fullStr Determining client cognitive status following mild traumatic brain injury
title_full_unstemmed Determining client cognitive status following mild traumatic brain injury
title_short Determining client cognitive status following mild traumatic brain injury
title_sort determining client cognitive status following mild traumatic brain injury
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/29637