James W Middleton1,2,3,4, Mohit Arora5,6, Annette Kifley5,6, Timothy Geraghty7,8, Samantha J Borg7,8, Ruth Marshall9,10, Jillian Clark9,10, Andrew Nunn11, Anna Ferrante12, Christine Fekete13,14, Gerold Stucki13,14, Bamini Gopinath5,15, Ashley Craig5,6, Ian D Cameron5,6. 1. John Walsh Centre for Rehabilitation Research, The Kolling Institute, Northern Sydney Local Health District, St Leonards, NSW, Australia. james.middleton@sydney.edu.au. 2. Translational Research Collective, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia. james.middleton@sydney.edu.au. 3. State Spinal Cord Injury Service, Agency for Clinical Innovation, St Leonards, NSW, Australia. james.middleton@sydney.edu.au. 4. Spinal Outreach Service, Royal Rehab, Ryde, NSW, Australia. james.middleton@sydney.edu.au. 5. John Walsh Centre for Rehabilitation Research, The Kolling Institute, Northern Sydney Local Health District, St Leonards, NSW, Australia. 6. Translational Research Collective, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia. 7. Queensland Spinal Cord Injuries Service, Division of Rehabilitation, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane, QLD, Australia. 8. The Hopkins Centre, Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD, Australia. 9. South Australian Spinal Cord Injury Service, Central Adelaide Local Health Network, Adelaide, SA, Australia. 10. Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia. 11. Victorian Spinal Cord Service, Austin Health, Heidelberg, VIC, Australia. 12. School of Population Health, Curtin University, Bentley, WA, Australia. 13. Swiss Paraplegic Research, Guido A. Zäch Institute, Nottwil, Switzerland. 14. Department of Health Sciences and Medicine, University of Lucerne, Lucerne, Switzerland. 15. Macquarie University Hearing, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Abstract
STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey. OBJECTIVES: To describe design and methods of Australian arm of International Spinal Cord Injury (Aus-InSCI) community survey, reporting on participation rates, potential non-response bias and cohort characteristics. SETTING: Survey of community-dwelling people with SCI at least 12 months post-injury, recruited between March 2018 and January 2019, from state-wide SCI services, a government insurance agency and not-for-profit consumer organisations across four Australian states. METHODS: The Aus-InSCI survey combined data for people with SCI from nine custodians, using secure data-linkage processes, to create a population-based, anonymised dataset. The Aus-InSCI questionnaire comprised 193 questions. Eligibility, response status and participation rates were calculated. Descriptive statistics depict participant characteristics. Logistic regression models were developed for probability of participation, and inverse probability weights generated to assess potential non-response bias. RESULTS: 1579 adults with SCI were recruited, a cooperation rate of 29.4%. Participants were predominantly male (73%), with 50% married. Mean age was 57 years (range 19-94) and average time post-injury 17 years (range 1-73). Paraplegia (61%) and incomplete lesions (68%) were most common. Males were more likely than females to have traumatic injuries (p < 0.0001) and complete lesions (p = 0.0002), and younger age-groups were more likely to have traumatic injuries and tetraplegia (p < 0.0001). Potential non-response bias evaluated using selected outcomes was found to be negligible in the Aus-InSCI cohort. CONCLUSIONS: The Aus-InSCI survey made efforts to maximise coverage, avoid recruitment bias and address non-response bias. The distributed, linked and coded (re-identifiable at each custodian level) 'virtual quasi-registry' data model supports systematic cross-sectional and longitudinal research.
STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey. OBJECTIVES: To describe design and methods of Australian arm of International Spinal Cord Injury (Aus-InSCI) community survey, reporting on participation rates, potential non-response bias and cohort characteristics. SETTING: Survey of community-dwelling people with SCI at least 12 months post-injury, recruited between March 2018 and January 2019, from state-wide SCI services, a government insurance agency and not-for-profit consumer organisations across four Australian states. METHODS: The Aus-InSCI survey combined data for people with SCI from nine custodians, using secure data-linkage processes, to create a population-based, anonymised dataset. The Aus-InSCI questionnaire comprised 193 questions. Eligibility, response status and participation rates were calculated. Descriptive statistics depict participant characteristics. Logistic regression models were developed for probability of participation, and inverse probability weights generated to assess potential non-response bias. RESULTS: 1579 adults with SCI were recruited, a cooperation rate of 29.4%. Participants were predominantly male (73%), with 50% married. Mean age was 57 years (range 19-94) and average time post-injury 17 years (range 1-73). Paraplegia (61%) and incomplete lesions (68%) were most common. Males were more likely than females to have traumatic injuries (p < 0.0001) and complete lesions (p = 0.0002), and younger age-groups were more likely to have traumatic injuries and tetraplegia (p < 0.0001). Potential non-response bias evaluated using selected outcomes was found to be negligible in the Aus-InSCI cohort. CONCLUSIONS: The Aus-InSCI survey made efforts to maximise coverage, avoid recruitment bias and address non-response bias. The distributed, linked and coded (re-identifiable at each custodian level) 'virtual quasi-registry' data model supports systematic cross-sectional and longitudinal research.