Profiles of Quality of Life Outcomes Observed in Rehabilitation Patients Using Latent Profile Analysis.

OBJECTIVE

To explore patterns of quality of life (QOL) outcomes in a diverse group of patients commonly seen in rehabilitation settings, in an effort to understand shared profiles of experiences that cut across diagnostic groupings.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional study.

SETTING

Academic research center.

PARTICIPANTS

English-speaking adults with a medically confirmed history of traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, stroke, or major limb injury and/or limb loss because of a sudden-onset cause, recruited from 3 clinical sites in the US.

INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable.

MAIN OUTCOME AND MEASURES: Standardized factor scores computed for 9 outcome cluster factor scores based on patient-reported outcome measures of economic QOL, fatigue/sleep, pain, independence, physical function, negative affect, positive affect, and social health, and cognitive measures from the brief test of adult cognition by telephone.

RESULTS

Optimal model fit for the latent profile analysis was achieved with a 4-profile model. These profiles were found to cut across clinical condition and were distinguished by a number of outcomes beyond symptom severity. Pain, independence, cognition, and social participation varied in important ways across the profiles.

CONCLUSIONS

This study supported the use of outcome cluster profiles as part of rehabilitation treatment, in addition to information about one's clinical condition when conceptualizing patient needs. The findings reported here may be useful for developing distinct rehabilitation management approaches based on these outcome cluster profiles.