Quality of life measures in older adults after traumatic brain injury: a systematic review

Abstract

BackgroundOn average older adults experiencing TBI are hospitalized four times as often, have longer hospital stays, and experience slower recovery trajectories and worse functional outcomes compared to younger populations with the same injury severity. A standard measure of Qol for older adults with TBI would facilitate accurate and reliable data across the individual patient care continuum and across clinical care settings, as well as support more rigorous research studies of metadata.PurposeThe aim of this systematic review was to investigate patient reported Qol measures in studies with older adults post TBI.MethodA systematic review was carried out focusing on the various tools to measure Qol in older adults, ≥ 65 years of age with a diagnosis of TBI. Data bases searched included Medline, Embase, PubMed, CINAHL, and PsychInfo from date of inception to September 25, 2017.ResultsA total of 20 articles met the inclusion criteria. Nine different tools were identified.ConclusionsFindings based on the comparison of reliability and construct validity of the Qol measures reported in this review suggest that no single instrument is superior to all others for our study population. Future research in this field should include the enrollment of larger study samples of older adults. Without these future efforts, the ability to detect an optimal Qol measure will be hindered.

Vulnerability and quality of life of older persons in the community in different situations of family care

“…An analysis of quality of life showed that older persons had regular assessment with percentage of the WHOQOL-OLD (54.8%) and the WHOQOL-BREF (57.4%), with the lowest assessments occurring for physical, social, environment, autonomy, past, present and future and social participation. The results of this study are similar when compared to studies that analyzed older persons in different socio-contextual and health situations, which leads us to rethink health and policy actions related to health promotion of older persons related to active aging (19,(26)(27)(28) .…”

Management of Traumatic Brain Injury in Older Adults: What You Need to Know

“…Previous studies assessing the impact of TBI on QoL in older adults have primarily focused on symptom reduction and input from family on clinical status. 10 However, there is now a growing recognition of the importance of considering the patient's perspective on QoL after TBI. To gain a better understanding of older adults' unique needs, advance clinical practice, enhance health care delivery, inform health policy, and allocate health services funds effectively, it is crucial to establish a standardized measurement for assessing QoL in older adults post-TBI.…”

“…9 The financial impact of TBI on patients, caregivers, and the health care system is substantial, with annual hospital charges exceeding 8.2 billion for the treatment of TBI in older adults. 10 This review aims to highlight the specific considerations and challenges faced by older adults with TBI.…”

Health care utilization and outcomes in older adults after Traumatic Brain Injury: A CENTER-TBI study

“…Research on both health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and psychological outcomes in older adults after TBI is scarce. Previous HRQoL studies included small sample sizes and few studies included both generic and disease-specific measures of HRQoL [19] . In some studies, individuals showed a higher risk for emergence of psychiatric disorders including depression, anxiety and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after TBI [20] , whereas in other studies older adults reported less psychological distress and less symptoms of depression and anxiety than younger adults [14] .…”