UVic Makes it Easier to Measure the Effects of Brain Injury

What if you could take a snapshot of your ailments and then use it to chart improvements in your health? People who have brain injuries will soon be able to do just that thanks to a new tool that is being developed by UVic, the Queen Alexandra Centre for Children's Health, and paid for by the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia.

What UVic psychology professor Dr. Ron Skelton and children's health clinical neuropsychologist Dr. Michael Joschko are developing is a measurement tool called the functional outcome profile (FOP). It measures the continuing effects of brain injury on day-to-day functioning, and provides ratings in 48 areas. The questionnaire takes just two hours to administer and is far cheaper than a battery of psychological tests. "FOP's main benefit is as a communications tool," says Skelton. "It is meant to give a complete picture of a person's strengths and weaknesses rather than just a sample of what is bothering them at the moment."

"Sometimes it's difficult to tell if a person with a brain injury has actually improved," says Joschko. "That's where the FOP is really useful. We can use it at 12 or even six-month intervals to see what progress clients have made. We also ask their friends and family the same questions. That way we have an idea of how the brain injury is impacting the various aspects of their life and their interactions with others."

According to Don Sweeney, manager of ICBC's rehabilitation department, over 500 people a year sustain serious brain injuries in car crashes. "That's why we are continually looking for ways to help these individuals," says Sweeney, whose corporation is paying $200,000 for the development of the tool. "The FOP is designed to be part of an effective way of enhancing clients' recovery and improving their lives."

Preliminary testing of the tool has revealed changes in survivors, even over a six-month period four to five years after their injury, and those interviewed to date have said that it has helped them get a better overall picture of how they are improving. A final version of the tool should be completed in early 2002. For more information visit web.uvic.ca/psyc/skelton/.

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