Validation of WHO-DAS 2.0 Spanish Version to Evaluate the Disability for Traumatic Brain Injury through Road Traffic Accidents in Adults

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: According to the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates, 25% of deaths due to injuries are caused by road traffic collisions. The impact goes beyond physical injuries and death. OBJECTIVES: To analyze the psychometric properties of WHO-DAS 2.0 (WD2) Spanish version to assess the disabilities of people over the age of 18 who have suffered traumatic brain injury (TBI) from road traffic accidents in Mar del Plata, Argentina. METHODS: Forty-five people were interviewed in their homes six months after the TBI occurred. The internal consistency of six dimensions were analysed through Cronbach’s alpha, the validity of the criterion through partial and global correlation using the Glasgow Outcome Scale Extended (GOSE) and the independence functional scale (IFS). Principal components analysis (PCA), hierarchical classification and partition were carried out. Partial and total results were compared in two different groups according to severity, using Kruskal-Wallis H test. RESULTS: Alpha’s values obtained were higher than 0.8, correlation equal to 0.85 with GOSE and 0.79 with IFS. PCA showed three different classes of severity and two groups of dimensions in the physical and social areas. IFS showed a high reverse correlation with the first one. High discriminatory power between subgroups of different severity was observed. CONCLUSIONS: WD2 allows evaluating the disability caused by TBI occurring in traffic accidents