Abstract
Study design
Prospective, multi-centered, observational.
Objectives
To characterize the relationship between psychosocial aspects of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and patient-reported bladder outcomes.
Setting
Multi-institutional sites in the United States, cohort drawn from North America.
Methods
We performed a cross-sectional analysis of data collected as part of the multicenter, prospective Neurogenic Bladder Research Group Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) Registry. Outcomes were: Neurogenic Bladder Symptom Score (NBSS), Neurogenic Bladder Symptom Score Satisfaction (NBSS-Satisfaction), and SCI-QoL Bladder Management Difficulties (SCI-QoL Difficulties). Adjusted multiple linear regression models were used with variables including demographic, injury characteristics, and the following psychosocial HRQoL measures; SCI-QoL Pain Interference (Pain), SCI-QoL Independence, and SCI-QoL Positive Affect and Well-being (Positive Affect). Psychosocial variables were sub-divided by tertiles for the analysis.
Results
There were 1479 participants, 57% had paraplegia, 60% were men, and 51% managed their bladder with clean intermittent catheterization. On multivariate analysis, higher tertiles of SCI-QoL Pain were associated with worse bladder symptoms, satisfaction, and bladder management difficulties; upper tertile SCI-QoL Pain (NBSS 3.8, p < 0.001; NBSS-satisfaction 0.6, p < 0.001; SCI-QoL Difficulties 2.4, p < 0.001). In contrast, upper tertiles of SCI-QoL Independence and SCI-QoL Positive Affect were associated with improved bladder-related outcomes; upper tertile SCI-QoL Independence (NBSS −2.3, p = 0.03; NBSS-satisfaction −0.4, p < 0.001) and upper tertile SCI-QoL Positive Affect (NBSS −2.8, p < 0.001; NBSS-satisfaction −0.7, p < 0.001; SCI-QoL Difficulties −0.7, p < 0.001).
Conclusions
In individuals with SCI, there is an association between psychosocial HRQoL and bladder-related QoL outcomes. Clinician awareness of this relationship can provide insight into optimizing long-term management after SCI.
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Data availability
The datasets generated and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
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Funding
This work was partially supported through a Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) Award (CER14092138). This investigation was supported by the University of Utah Study Design and Biostatistics Center, with funding in part from the National Center for Research Resources and the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, through Grant 5UL1TR001067-05 (formerly 8UL1TR000105 and UL1RR025764).
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OM was responsible for interpretation of results and paper writing. JH and AP were responsible for data analysis, result interpretation and paper revision. JTS, SE, BW, SL and JBM aided in study design, acquired data, and revised the paper. All authors approved the final version of the paper.
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Moghalu, O., Stoffel, J.T., Elliott, S. et al. Psychosocial aspects of health-related quality of life and the association with patient-reported bladder symptoms and satisfaction after spinal cord injury. Spinal Cord 59, 987–996 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41393-020-00609-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41393-020-00609-x
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