An audit of demographics and rehabilitation outcomes in non-traumatic spinal cord injury

The influence of psychological need on rehabilitation outcomes for people with spinal cord injury

STUDY DESIGN

Single-centre, retrospective study of people with a spinal cord injury or disorder (PwSCI/D) and identified psychological need.

OBJECTIVES

To examine the effect of psychological need on rehabilitation outcomes.

SETTING

National Spinal Injuries Centre (NSIC), Stoke Mandeville Hospital, Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust, United Kingdom.

METHODS

Self-reported data from the Stoke Mandeville Spinal Needs Assessment Checklist (SMS-NAC) were used to examine identified psychological need (characterised by referral for psychological treatment, or scoring above clinical threshold in admission psychometric measures) on SCI rehabilitation outcome domains. Participants were grouped according to whether they were referred, not referred, scored above or below clinical threshold.

RESULTS

234 participants were included (Mean age at injury (years) = 53, 70% Male, 29% tetraplegia, 38% paraplegia, 33% ASIA D). There was a significant improvement in outcome scores from admission to discharge across all domains irrespective of participant group, however individuals with identified psychological need scored lower across all rehabilitation domains than those without. While individuals with psychological need demonstrated longer rehabilitation stays, more frequent and longer discharge delays, they also showed comparatively greater rehabilitation improvements. Psychological screening measures were more effective at detecting psychological need than individuals identified via referral, and participants scoring above clinical threshold had poorest overall rehabilitation outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS

Individuals with psychological need have greater rehabilitation need and may require longer rehabilitation and benefit from additional discharge planning. Early, proactive psychometric screening can better facilitate improvements for delivering rehabilitation. Future research should consider specific contributing factors to psychological need, such as pre-existing mental health conditions or socio-demographic influences.

Building and Sustaining Inpatient-Clinician Collaboration in Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation: A Case Example Using the Stoke Mandeville Spinal Needs Assessment Checklist (SMS-NAC) and Goal Planning Programme

Goal planning is core for the delivery of the biopsychosocial model of rehabilitation and is commonly practiced in spinal cord injury (SCI) and other physical health settings. Despite a strong theoretical basis from several branches of psychology, evidence regarding specific practice, interventions and impact has yet to be established, with no universal standards in this area. Study One outlines the standards used at the National Spinal Injuries Centre (NSIC), Stoke Mandeville Hospital since the inception of the SMS-NAC and goal planning programme in 1989. The results outline the impact of a quality improvement project undertaken since 2016 and track the interventions used to improve inpatient care. Study Two reports on an international survey of rehabilitation measure usage and goal planning practice with inpatient adult and children and young people (CYP) with SCI. Respondents replied that inpatient presence at goal planning meetings only took place in 75% (adult) and 76% (CYP) of services, with more services indicating 4 or more members of the multidisciplinary team being present (85% and 90%, respectively). This paper demonstrates the gains that can be made when a structured quality improvement methodology is used and highlights the need for standards regarding goal planning in SCI rehabilitation to be developed.

The value of the whole picture: rehabilitation outcome measurement using patient self-report and clinician-based assessments after spinal cord injury

STUDY DESIGN

This is a retrospective longitudinal study.

OBJECTIVES

To explore the relative impact and contribution of using both the Spinal Cord Independence Measure III (SCIM) and Stoke Mandeville Spinal Needs Assessment Checklist (SMS-NAC) to assess rehabilitation outcome following an acute spinal cord injury (SCI).

SETTING

The study was performed at National Spinal Injuries Centre (NSIC), Stoke Mandeville Hospital, Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust, Aylesbury, UK.

METHODS

A patient self-report SMS-NAC and clinician-rated SCIM were administered on admission and discharge from the NSIC as part of standardised care. This paper presents a retrospective analysis of the rehabilitation outcomes of 195 people with spinal cord injury (PwSCI) following their first admission.

RESULTS

In both measures, PwSCI improved from admission to discharge. Individuals with higher SCI obtained lower scores in both measures, at both admission and discharge. The SMS-NAC demonstrated the greatest increase in knowledge and skill for PwSCI who had higher and more complete injuries. On the SCIM, PwSCI who had lower and less complete injuries demonstrated the greatest increase in outcome.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall, both measures demonstrated responsiveness to change during SCI rehabilitation and enable clinicians to systematically determine areas to focus rehabilitation effort. The relative strengths and contribution to delivering person-centred care for each are identified. The SMS-NAC enables clinicians to record, for people with higher injuries, their subjective self-report of skill and knowledge gains from rehabilitation that may be missed with other measures. Consequently, using both is encouraged in appreciation of the value of recording verbal (instructional) independence as well as functional (physical) independence.

Dynamic body-weight support to boost rehabilitation outcomes in patients with non-traumatic spinal cord injury: an observational study

Background

Dynamic body-weight support (DBWS) may play an important role in rehabilitation outcomes, but the potential benefit among disease-specific populations is unclear. In this study, we hypothesize that overground therapy with DBWS during inpatient rehabilitation yields greater functional improvement than standard-of-care in adults with non-traumatic spinal cord injury (NT-SCI).

Methods

This retrospective cohort study included individuals diagnosed with NT-SCI and undergoing inpatient rehabilitation. All participants were recruited at a freestanding inpatient rehabilitation hospital. Individuals who trained with DBWS for at least three sessions were allocated to the experimental group. Participants in the historical control group received standard-of-care (i.e., no DBWS). The primary outcome was change in the Functional Independence Measure scores (FIM_gain).

Results

During an inpatient rehabilitation course, participants in the experimental group (n = 11), achieved a mean (SD) FIM_gain of 48 (11) points. For the historical control group (n = 11), participants achieved a mean (SD) FIM_gain of 36 (12) points. From admission to discharge, both groups demonstrated a statistically significant FIM_gain. Between groups analysis revealed no significant difference in FIM_gain (p = 0.022; 95% CI 2.0–22) after a post hoc correction for multiple comparisons. In a secondary subscore analysis, the experimental group achieved significantly higher gains in sphincter control (p = 0.011: 95% CI 0.83–5.72) with a large effect size (Cohen’s d 1.19). Locomotion subscores were not significantly different (p = 0.026; 95% CI 0.37–5.3) nor were the remaining subscores in self-care, mobility, cognition, and social cognition.

Conclusions

This is the first study to explore the impact of overground therapy with DBWS on inpatient rehabilitation outcomes for persons with NT-SCI. Overground therapy with DBWS appears to significantly improve functional gains in sphincter control compared to the standard-of-care. Gains achieved in locomotion, mobility, cognition, and social cognition did not meet significance. Findings from the present study will benefit from future large prospective and randomized studies.

Heterogeneity and Its Impact on Rehabilitation Outcomes and Interventions for Community Reintegration in People With Spinal Cord Injuries: An Integrative Review

Background: Various injury characteristics such as cause, level, severity, and time since injury divide individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) into many subgroups. The heterogeneity among individuals' injuries and personal characteristics has significant implications for SCI rehabilitation practice, specifically directed toward community reintegration, which is a key goal of rehabilitation interventions for people with disabilities. Purpose: This study aims to summarize the evidence on attributes that make the SCI population heterogeneous, the impact of these attributes on community reintegration, and the implications of heterogeneity for rehabilitation interventions directed toward optimizing community reintegration. Methods: We used an integrative review approach to conduct this study. MEDLINE, PubMed, CINAHL, EMBASE, Google Scholar, and PsycINFO were searched from inception until May 2017. Out of 670 articles retrieved, 49 provided evidence on the impact of various attributes that make SCI heterogeneous on rehabilitation outcomes related to community reintegration. Results: An array of injury-related, personal, social, and environmental factors are associated with various rehabilitation outcomes that affect community reintegration of people with SCI. There is level 1 evidence that social support, self-efficacy, and self-esteem facilitate community reintegration among people with SCI while there is level 5 evidence that presence of psychological or medical complications decreases it. There is lack of clarity on the impact of injury-related factors on community reintegration. Conclusion: This integrative review found that social support and individuals' self-efficacy can improve community reintegration of people with SCI. However, evidence regarding the impact of injury characteristics on community reintegration is still underdeveloped. Approaches directed at community reintegration should involve components of psychosocial, physical, and vocational rehabilitation while considering personal and societal aspects of an individual's life.