BACKGROUND/ OBJECTIVE: Children and adolescents who have sustained a spinal cord injury (SCI) are at risk of developing spine deformities and secondary complications that may affect their quality of life. The Shriners Pediatric Instrument for Neuromuscular Scoliosis (SPINS) is a condition-specific instrument that was developed to measure the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of this patient population. A pilot study was conducted to revise the SPINS and assess comprehensibility. METHODS: Fourteen children with SCI (ages 6-16 y) from a pediatric hospital were administered either a child version (ages 10-18 y) or a parent version (ages 5-9 y) of the SPINS. Problematic items were identified based on participants' feedback or low statistical variance. RESULTS: Ten of 14 (71.6%) respondents understood at least 90% of the items, and 13 out of 14 (92.9%) comprehended more than 80% of relevant items on the SPINS. CONCLUSION: The SPINS has demonstrated comprehensibility. The next step is to measure the validity and reliability of the instrument. The SPINS shows promise as a means of assessing quality of life related to brace effectiveness in children with SCI and neuromuscular scoliosis who primarily use a wheelchair for mobility.
BACKGROUND/ OBJECTIVE:Children and adolescents who have sustained a spinal cord injury (SCI) are at risk of developing spine deformities and secondary complications that may affect their quality of life. The Shriners Pediatric Instrument for Neuromuscular Scoliosis (SPINS) is a condition-specific instrument that was developed to measure the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of this patient population. A pilot study was conducted to revise the SPINS and assess comprehensibility. METHODS: Fourteen children with SCI (ages 6-16 y) from a pediatric hospital were administered either a child version (ages 10-18 y) or a parent version (ages 5-9 y) of the SPINS. Problematic items were identified based on participants' feedback or low statistical variance. RESULTS: Ten of 14 (71.6%) respondents understood at least 90% of the items, and 13 out of 14 (92.9%) comprehended more than 80% of relevant items on the SPINS. CONCLUSION: The SPINS has demonstrated comprehensibility. The next step is to measure the validity and reliability of the instrument. The SPINS shows promise as a means of assessing quality of life related to brace effectiveness in children with SCI and neuromuscular scoliosis who primarily use a wheelchair for mobility.
Authors: M G Vitale; D E Levy; M G Johnson; A C Gelijns; A J Moskowitz; B P Roye; L Verdisco; D P Roye Journal: J Pediatr Orthop Date: 2001 Sep-Oct Impact factor: 2.324
Authors: Samir Mehta; Randal R Betz; M J Mulcahey; Craig McDonald; Lawrence C Vogel; Caroline Anderson Journal: J Spinal Cord Med Date: 2004 Impact factor: 1.985