Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Feb 26;53(2):jrm00159.
doi: 10.2340/16501977-2795.

Inception cohort of the Swiss Spinal Cord Injury Cohort Study (SwiSCI): Design, participant characteristics, response rates and non-response

Christine Fekete  1 , Beat Gurtner, Simon Kunz, Armin Gemperli, Hans-Peter Gmünder, Margret Hund-Georgiadis, Xavier Jordan, Martin Schubert, Jivko Stoyanov, Gerold Stucki
Affiliations

Inception cohort of the Swiss Spinal Cord Injury Cohort Study (SwiSCI): Design, participant characteristics, response rates and non-response

Christine Fekete et al. J Rehabil Med. .

Abstract

Objectives: To provide a methodological reference paper for the inception cohort of the Swiss Spinal Cord Injury Cohort Study (SwiSCI), by detailing its methodological features and reporting on participant characteristics, response rates and non-response bias.

Design: Prospective cohort study starting in 2013 in all 4 specialized rehabilitation centres in Switzerland.

Subjects: Included are 655 newly diagnosed first rehabilitation patients aged ≥16 years with traumatic or non-traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI, NTSCI).

Methods: Descriptive statistics were used to depict participant characteristics and to compare characteristics of responders and non-responders. Logistic regressions were conducted to estimate non-response bias.

Results: The sample consisted of 69% males, with mean age 53.5 years, 57.9% TSCI, 60.7% paraplegia and 78.8% incomplete SCI. Males and younger persons more often sustained TSCI and more severe SCI, resulting in longer duration of rehabilitation. Complete lesions were more prevalent in TSCI compared to NTSCI. The response rate was 47.5% and study participation was less likely in females, older persons, persons with lower functional independence and those with NTSCI.

Conclusion: SwiSCI inception cohort data enable the estimation of epidemiological figures of SCI in Switzerland, and prognostic and trajectory modelling of outcomes after SCI to guide policy, service provision and clinical practice.

Keywords: SwiSCI; biobank; cohort profile; first rehabilitation; inception cohort; non-response bias; spinal cord injury.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Assessment schedule of the Swiss Spinal Cord Injury Cohort Study (SwiSCI) inception cohort: study protocol vs effective schedule. SCI: spinal cord injury. T1: measurement time-point at admission. T2: measurement time-point 12 weeks after diagnosis. T3: measurement time-point 24 weeks after diagnosis. T4: measurement time-point at discharge. T5: measurement time-point 1 year after diagnosis.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Flow chart of consent scenarios and participation status. FDS: Full data set. MDS: Minimal data set.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Porta M. A dictionary of epidemiology. 6th edn. Inception cohort. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 2008, p. 123.
    1. Bernard TJ, Armstrong-Wells J, Goldenberg NA. The institution-based prospective inception cohort study: design, implementation, and quality assurance in pediatric thrombosis and stroke research. Semin Thromb Hemost 2013; 39: 10–14. - PMC - PubMed
    1. da Silva T, Mills K, Brown BT, Pocovi N, de Campos T, Maher C, et al. . Recurrence of low back pain is common: a prospective inception cohort study. J Physiother 2019; 65: 159–165. - PubMed
    1. Armstrong-Wells J, Goldenberg NA. Institution-based prospective inception cohort studies in neonatal rare disease research. Semin Fetal Neonatal Med 2011; 16: 355–358. - PubMed
    1. Ray WA. Evaluating medication effects outside of clinical trials: new-user designs. Am J Epidemiol 2003; 158: 915–920. - PubMed