Measuring Spinal Cord Injury

This book describes validated outcome measures for the international Spinal Cord Injury population. Based on rigorous systematic reviews of ca. 80,000 scientific articles, the authors present assessment tools for various clinical uses in the health sciences, following parameters of validity, reliability, and responsiveness. It is important for the development of clinical practice and research that practical and appropriate measures become universally accepted; this would allow comparisons and meta- analysis of high-quality randomized controlled trials of people with this increasingly common injury. This book emphasizes the need for consensus among researchers as to which tools must be studied in depth or adapted to other national contexts, or which measurement instruments should be standardized in order to develop universal norms and standards for the performance of people with Spinal Cord Injury. It offers a valuable practical guide for clinicians, rehabilitation professionals and nurses, but will also help researchers to gain more confidence in using valid and reliable assessment tools for comparable clinical trials.