Article

It was hypothesized that, for people with severe traumatic injuries,
no association between long term health status and receiving financial
compensation would be detected. DESIGN: Two prospective cohort studies.
A group of people with severe traumatic brain injury (n = 132) and a group of
people with traumatic spinal cord injury (n = 58). METHODS: Health status and
functioning were measured at baseline and at 5 years follow-up for both injury
groups. Results per group were compared between those who received compensation
and those who were non-compensable. RESULTS: In the brain injury cohort those
receiving financial compensation showed a significantly worse Disability Rating
Scale score after 5 years compared to the non-receiving group (p = 0.01).
Financial compensation was a modest predictor for being disabled (scores >/= 4)
after 5 years (Exp (B) = 2.47, 95% confidence interval 1.03 to 5.93). In the
spinal cord injury cohort those receiving financial compensation scored
significantly lower with the Short-Form 36 General Health Survey/Physical
Component Summarise scores after 5 years than those who did not (p = 0.04).
Again, receiving financial compensation had a modest predictive value for the
Short-Form 36/Physical Component Summarise scores after 5 years (B = -4.72, SE =
2.16, 95% confidence interval -9.05 to -0.38). CONCLUSION: Financial compensation
may have a small negative association with recovery, even for people with severe
traumatic injury.

Langue : ANGLAIS