Measurement of impaired self-awareness after traumatic brain injury: a comparison of the patient competency rating scale and the awareness questionnaire.
OBJECTIVE
To compare the Patient Competency Rating Scale (PCRS) and the Awareness Questionnaire (AQ) in the measurement of impaired self-awareness (ISA) in persons with traumatic brain injury (TBI).


METHODS
Prospective cohort of patients seen for inpatient rehabilitation following TBI.


METHODS
Measures of self-awareness were collected at resolution of post-traumatic amnesia and outcomes (rated employability) were collected at discharge from inpatient rehabilitation.


RESULTS
Subjects were 129 persons with TBI. Measures from the PCRS and AQ showed moderate correlations. Models using as predictors patient/clinician discrepancies for the PCRS and the AQ performed comparably in predicting employability (Nagelkerke R(2) = 0.22 and 0.20, respectively).


CONCLUSIONS
The PCRS and AQ showed only moderate correlations, but performed comparably as measures of ISA after TBI. Patient/clinician discrepancies appeared to be more valid measures of ISA early after TBI than patient/family discrepancies. Preliminary cutting points for severity of ISA were presented for the two scales.
Sherer
Mark
M
University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson 39216, USA. marks@mmrcrehab.org
Hart
Tessa
T
Nick
Todd G
TG
D000328:Adult; D001364:Awareness; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000523:psychology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010358:Patient Participation; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012649:Self Concept; D012647:Self-Assessment; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards*