Affiliations: Department of Surgery, University of Cologne,
Ostmerheimerstr. 200, D-51109 Cologne, Germany | Department of Surgery, University of Toronto,
Canada
Note: [] Members of the MI Consensus Group: B. Bouillon (Cologne,
Germany), E. Eypasch (Cologne, Germany), T. L. Holbrook (La Jolla, USA), H. J.
Kreder (Toronto, Canada), R. Mayou (Oxford, Great Britain), D. Nast-Kolb
(Essen, Germany), N. Pirente (Cologne, Germany), G. Schelling (Munich,
Germany), T. Tiling (Cologne, Germany), D. Yates (Manchester, Great Britain).
Abstract: Background: While the primary goal of trauma care continues to be
the preservation of life, interest has begun to focus on disability and quality
of life of those who survive. Numerous instruments have been developed to
measure personal well-being, impairment, or subjective life-satisfaction. But
there is no consensus regarding which instruments are most appropriate to use
in multiply injured patients, and comparison of results are difficult. Objective: The objective of this multinational conference was to
arrive at a consensus regarding the measurement of quality of life in survivors
of multiple trauma. Specifically we sought to identify the best time intervals
for measurement and a minimum set of instruments. Method: The group reviewed instruments currently in use for quality
of life measurement in multiply injured patients. A structured discussion
covered the following topics: definition of the population, the concept of
quality of life, the importance of different domains of quality of life at
different time points, the type of measures and their validity, consistency,
and practicability, the mode of administration, subject burden, and
availability of population norms. Results: The group suggested three time points, after 3, 12 and 24
months, for the assessment of quality of life after multiple injury. The
Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) was suggested as an overall global outcome measure
including death and vegetative state. The EuroQol was proposed to permit
economic analysis, and the SF-36 as a validated global quality of life
measure. Conclusion: While most selected measures are psychometrically sound,
many have had limited use in the setting of multiple injuries. Researchers and
clinicians may use these suggestions as a source of information when developing
a measurement strategy.
Keywords: quality of life, multiple injuries, consensus conference
