Abstract
BackgroundWhiplash is a common traumatic cervical injury which is most often a consequence of rear-end motor vehicle accidents. It has been estimated that up to 50% of the whiplash patients suffer from chronic symptoms, resulting in extensive individual and societal burden. Several measurement instruments are used for initial assessment of whiplash and evaluation of response to treatment. However, a comprehensive assessment of the performance of these measures is lacking. Furthermore, there is no consensus on the most relevant outcome domains and their corresponding measurement instruments of choice. This systematic review aims to identify, describe, and critically appraise the performance properties of health-related measurement instruments in whiplash population.MethodsThe following literature databases will be searched from their date of establishment: PubMed, Embase®, MEDLINE, CINAHL Complete, PsycINFO, and HAPI. All original articles evaluating the reliability, validity, responsiveness, and feasibility of health-related measurement instruments in whiplash will be included, without additional restriction on their intended use, source of data, and structure. Risk of bias will be assessed using the COSMIN Risk of Bias checklist. Findings of the studies will be judged against the criteria for good measurement properties, and results from all studies will be qualitatively summarized to generate an overall quality of findings. Overall quality of evidence will be determined using a modified GRADE approach, which will be used in conjunction with the overall quality of results for generation of recommendations. Two reviewers will perform all steps of the review independently. Discrepancies will be discussed between the reviewers, and in case of remaining disagreement, the senior reviewer will make the final decision.DiscussionThis systematic review will summarize the body of literature on health-related measurement instruments in whiplash, aiming to facilitate the selection of high-quality measurement instrument for researchers and physicians. Findings of this study will guide the ongoing efforts for development of a core outcome set.Systematic review registrationPROSPERO reference number CRD42018070901
Highlights
Whiplash is a common traumatic cervical injury which is most often a consequence of rear-end motor vehicle accidents
This systematic review will summarize and critically appraise the abounding literature pertaining to the reliability, validity, responsiveness, and feasibility of health-related measurement instruments evaluated in whiplash population
The COSMIN checklist was selected for assessment of methodological quality, while alternatives were taken into consideration, such as the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (QUADAS) tool and the Quality Appraisal of Reliability Studies (QAREL) checklist [34, 35]
Summary
Whiplash is a common traumatic cervical injury which is most often a consequence of rear-end motor vehicle accidents. Whiplash is currently regarded as a bio-psycho-social phenomenon, with diverse array of outcomes or disease characteristics that need to be measured To fulfill this growing demand, a wide variety of measurement instruments have been developed. While there are many measurement instruments used in assessments, there is no consensus on what outcomes should be measured and which instruments are most optimal to measure these outcomes This lack of standardization leads to difficulty in comparing the results of studies which employ different measures, and limits the application of meta-analysis in systematic reviews [14]. This lack of consensus on outcome measures of choice may lead to selective outcome reporting and bias. Systematic reviews of outcome measures hold a significant weight in guiding the experts involved in the development of core outcome sets by providing the evidence basis necessary for informed decisions
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