Abstract:
INTRODUCTION:
The Bournemouth Questionnaire (BQ) was used to report the short to mid-term
outcome of a prospective cohort of patients who had sustained Whiplash
Associated Disorder (WAD), and establish whether outcome could be predicted
on initial assessment. METHODS:
One hundred patients with WAD grades I-III on the Quebec Task Force
Classification were referred for physiotherapy (neck posture advice,
initially practised under the direct supervision of a therapist). BQ scores
were recorded on the first visit, at six weeks, then at final follow-up. RESULTS:
Seventy-six percent of patients were available at final follow-up, 58%
women. The mean age was 43.2 years old and follow-up time 38 months (28-48).
Symptoms plateaued after six weeks in the majority and improved gradually
thereafter. When the individual BQ components on initial presentation were
reassessed, patients who score disproportionately highly in BQ Question 5
(Depression) had a worse outcome. To quantify this, the ratio of BQ
Questions 5 (Depression)/1 (Pain) was calculated. BQ5/1 ratio greater than 1
on initial presentation had an odds ratio of 2 for poor outcome (p= 0.02). CONCLUSION:
The BQ can therefore be used to identify patients with a disproportionately
high depression score (BQ5) who are highly likely to clinically deteriorate
in the medium term.
