’Less is more’: validation with Rasch analysis of five short-forms for the Brain Injury Rehabilitation Trust Personality Questionnaires (BIRT-PQs)

Abstract Objective To evaluate the psychometric properties of the Brain Injury Screening Tool (BIST) symptom scale in a sample of people with a mild Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI) through Rasch analysis, and to obtain an interval level measurement score for potential clinical use. Materials and methods Data were obtained from 114 adults aged over 16 years, who had experienced at least one mTBI in the past 10 years. Participants were recruited via social media, concussion clinics and sports organisations over a 4-month period between May and September 2020. Participants were asked to compete the symptom scale of the BIST tool via an anonymous online questionnaire. Internal construct validity, dimensionality, person separation index, and differential item functioning of the BIST were examined with Rasch analysis. Results BIST in its original form produced a satisfactory item-trait interaction, and good reliability, but was found to be multi-dimensional. Rasch analysis of the full scale with three domains as subtests resulted in acceptable model fit (χ2(6) =3.8, p > 0.05), with good reliability (Person Separation Index = 0.84), and uni-dimensionality. Differential Item Functioning (DIF) analysis displayed no significant DIF effects for sex or age revealing that people responded consistently and similarly to the individual BIST items based on severity of symptom burden. Conclusions The 15-item symptom scale of the BIST tool is a psychometrically sound measure of symptom burden following mTBI. The findings provide support for use of both total and sub scale scores for clinical use. Ordinal to interval score conversions are recommended for use when using the scores for research purposes in mTBI.

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Assistive Technology for Cognition Following Brain Injury: A Clinician's Perspective

Perspectives on Neurophysiology and Neurogenic Speech and Language Disorders ◽

10.1044/nnsld23.2.74 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 23 (2) ◽

pp. 74-83 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Mary Pat Daly

Keyword(s):

Brain Injury ◽

Assistive Technology ◽

Day Treatment ◽

Cognitive Impairments ◽

Acute Care Hospital ◽

Care Hospital ◽

Injury Rehabilitation ◽

High Level ◽

The Brain ◽

And Training

Whether working in a specialized brain injury program, outpatient clinic, acute care hospital, or private practice, speech-language pathologists serving adults with cognitive impairments due to acquired brain injury (ABI) are faced with many challenges: assessment, treatment planning, client and family education, documentation, team conferences, and billing. The combination of these demands requires a high level of efficiency. Include the rapidly expanding field of assistive technology for cognition (ATC) — cell phones, smart phones, tablets, and apps used to compensate for cognitive impairments — and the most experienced and adept clinician can feel overwhelmed. This article describes the practical application of ATC assessment and training in the brain injury day treatment program at the Brain Injury Rehabilitation Center (BIRC), Portland, OR, across three domains: (a) a clinician’s perceptions of ATC and its integration into clinical practice, (b) selected ATC assessment processes and training techniques, and (c) challenges associated with the implementation of ATC in a clinical setting.

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The Brain Injury Rehabilitation Workbook

Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise ◽

10.1249/01.mss.0000524450.07237.d7 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 49 (10) ◽

pp. 2139

Keyword(s):

Brain Injury ◽

Injury Rehabilitation ◽

The Brain

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Rasch Analysis and Functional Measurement in Post-Hospital Brain Injury Rehabilitation

International Journal of Statistics and Probability ◽

10.5539/ijsp.v6n6p50 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 6 (6) ◽

pp. 50

Author(s):

Frank D. Lewis ◽

Gordon J. Horn

Keyword(s):

Brain Injury ◽

Rasch Analysis ◽

Item Difficulty ◽

Reliability And Validity ◽

Acquired Brain Injury ◽

Statistical Technique ◽

Rehabilitation Program ◽

Injury Rehabilitation ◽

Fit Statistics ◽

Supported Living

Rasch analysis is a statistical technique used in determining statistical properties of functional measures for use in research and treatment. The technique was used in the current study to determine the reliability and validity of the Mayo Portland Adaptability Inventory-Version 4 (MPAI-4) for use with three different acquired brain injury samples. Subjects were 777 adults (each group comprised of 259 individuals) with acquired brain injury treated in one of three rehabilitation program types: Neurorehabilitation (NR), Neurobehavioral (NB), or Supported Living (SL). The MPAI-4 was administered to each participant upon admission to program. Rasch analysis was conducted to assess item fit, reliability, and separation statistics for MPAI-4 assessments conducted within each program. Item difficulty values were examined to determine if the MPAI-4 differentiated among groups based on deficit profiles. The results revealed that for each group, fit statistics fell with appropriate levels (0.5 – 1.5) for at least 24 of 29 items. Rasch person reliability statistics were 0.89 for NR and NB, and 0.90 for SL. Item reliability was 0.99 for each of the groups. Item difficulty values accurately differentiated the three groups based on their specific deficit profiles expected. Specifically, NR participants’ greatest deficits demonstrated by the MPAI-4 were within cognitive and physical functions. For the NB participants, the greater deficits demonstrated were within the behavioral and adjustment items. Supported Living participants had the most limitation within the instrumental activities of daily living items. As in prior research findings, the current Rasch analysis supported the use of the MPAI-4 within this heterogeneous, acquired brain injury population. This unique statistical approach translates to treatment priorities that may assist clinicians with identifying treatment goals specific to unique treatment group characteristics (e.g., NR, NB, and SL).

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