title: Development of a Decision Tree Analysis model that predicts recovery from acute brain injury.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The present study was conducted to identify significant demographic, illness-related, and physiological factors associated with recovery at 1 month after brain injury, and to develop and evaluate a Decision Tree Analysis-based prediction model.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study was conducted using a prospective study design. The study subjects were 190 adult patients with brain injury admitted to the neurological intensive care unit of a university hospital located in Incheon, South Korea. Degree of recovery from brain injury was evaluated 1 month after admission using the Glasgow Outcome Scale.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A prediction model was developed using Decision Tree Analysis. The most significant predictor of recovery at 1 month after brain injury using the devised model was Glasgow Coma Scale score on admission, and its optimum cut-off value for the differentiation of good and poor recovery was 8.5. The next best predictors were age and blood glucose level on admission, which had cut-off values of 49.5 years and 155 mg/dL, respectively. In addition, hematoma volume, systolic blood pressure, and respiratory rate on admission were also found to predict 1 month recovery significantly, with corresponding cut-off values of 44 cc, 168 mmHg, and 29/min, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The developed model includes common and routinely used monitoring parameters as significant predictors, and proposes cut-off values for these predictors. This model appears to be useful for predicting 1 month recovery in various brain injury types. The authors believe that the devised model provides a basis for the evidence-based nursing care of brain injured patients during the acute stage.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing, Inha University, Incheon, Korea.
authors.forename: Hyun Soo
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Oh
authors.forename: Wha Sook
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Seo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D003663:Decision Trees; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008962:Models, Theoretical