title: Conceptualizing functional cognition in traumatic brain injury rehabilitation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To conceptualize functional cognitive constructs across the continuum of traumatic brain injury (TBI) recovery, to form the foundation for the Computer Adaptive Measure of Functional Cognition for TBI (CAMFC-TBI).
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  TBI often has a profound impact on a survivor's ability to return to previous level of functioning and significantly reduces the overall quality of life for survivors and caregivers. Few assessments are designed to evaluate TBI's impact on cognitive functioning in everyday life. Neuropsychological tests are time consuming and may have questionable ecological validity for predicting functional outcomes. Global functional assessments contain few cognitive items and may lack psychometric rigour. Presently there is a lack of efficient, precise, ecologically valid functional cognitive measures.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Studies that used neuropsychological and global functional assessments were reviewed to direct conceptualization of functional cognitive constructs across TBI recovery stages. An advisory panel reviewed study methodology and functional cognitive constructs development. They validated the need for the CAMFC-TBI and the six functional cognitive constructs: attention, memory, processing speed, executive functioning, social communication and emotional management.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Conceptualizing functional cognitive constructs is the first step in CAMFC-TBI development. Future project stages include item pool development, qualitative testing, field-testing, psychometric analysis and computerized adaptive test programming.
authors.affiliation: North Florida/South Georgia Veterans Health System Rehabilitation Outcomes Research Center, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA. ndonovan@lsu.edu
authors.forename: Neila J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Donovan
authors.forename: Shelley C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Heaton
authors.forename: Cara I
authors.initials: CI
authors.lastname: Kimberg
authors.forename: Pey-Shan
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Wen
authors.forename: J Kay
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Waid-Ebbs
authors.forename: Wendy
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Coster
authors.forename: Floris
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Singletary
authors.forename: Craig A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Velozo
mesh_terms: D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D003210:Concept Formation / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011594:Psychometrics; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology; D020127:Recovery of Function / Q000502:physiology*