Spinal cord injuries: a shortened measure of function and mood.

A brief quality-of-life (QL) questionnaire was derived empirically from a cross-sectional study of 98 SCI-patients (83% men, median age 33.5 years, and median time after injury 2.3 years). A comprehensive general battery of well-established questionnaires (Sickness Impact Profile (SIP), Mood Adjective Check List (MACL), and Hospital Anxiety and Depression (HAD) scale) was combined with a study-specific set of questions to constitute patients' QL. A stepwise analysis model was used to define key areas and questions to be included in a brief SCI-adapted questionnaire. The central areas that independently mattered for SCI-patients' perception of good QL included mental health (no depressive feelings), physical and psychosocial dysfunction (no, or few and minor, limitations in mobility, body care and movement and social interaction), and SCI-related problems (no or little perceived difficulty with loss of independence due to injury). A 22-item questionnaire is suggested for routine clinical follow-up to assess more accurately when optimal treatment and services have been delivered.