Years to employment after spinal cord injury

OBJECTIVE: To identify factors related to the length of time between spinal cord injury (SCI) onset and return to work among 259 participants with SCI, all of whom have worked at some point since SCI onset. DESIGN: All data were cross-sectional and collected by survey methodology. SETTING: A midwestern university hospital and private hospital in the same metropolitan area. PARTICIPANTS: Participants were identified from outpatient records of 2 participating hospitals. They met 4 exclusion and inclusion criteria: (1) traumatic SCI; (2) 18 years of age or older; (3) a minimum of 2 years postinjury; and (4) had been employed at some time since SCI. The 259 participants' average age was 46.4 years at the time of the study, with an average of 23.5 years having passed since SCI onset. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. Main Outcome Measures: Years from injury onset to beginning first postinjury job, years to the first full-time postinjury job, and the Life Situation Questionnaire. RESULTS: Participants averaged 4.8 years from the time of SCI onset to their first postinjury job and 6.3 years until their first full-time postinjury job. However, these figures varied greatly depending on whether the individual returned to the preinjury job, was working as a professional at the time of injury, had a noncervical injury, and the amount of education by the time of injury. CONCLUSION: There are 2 general tracks to employment after SCI-a fast track where people return to their preinjury job or preinjury profession and a slower track that is generally associated with needs for further reeducation and training. Working to return the individual to the preinjury job or to a position related to their preinjury occupation may substantially shorten the interval to return to work. In cases where this is not possible, counselors must work with individuals to understand the timeline of return to work and identify realistic educational goals that fit both the individual's interest pattern and postinjury abilities.     

Return to work after spinal cord injury in Taiwan: the contribution of functional independence

OBJECTIVE: To study the employment rate and determinants of return to work for persons with traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) in Taiwan. DESIGN: Cross-sectional. SETTING: Taiwan community. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred sixty-nine people who had sustained traumatic SCI, had been completely rehabilitated in a university hospital between 1989 and 2002, and who were between 18 and 60 years of age at the time of interview in 2003. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: A structured questionnaire was used to identify demographic and injury-related status, functional status, and pre- and postinjury work-related information. RESULTS: At the time of survey, only 47% of the participants were engaged in remunerative employment. Cox regression analysis, with time elapsed between injury and survey as the underlying time axis, showed that education and functional independence were associated with employment. Subjects with a high school education had a 2.2-fold higher chance (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.3-3.8) of returning to work than those without. Subjects with higher scores on the Barthel Index and ability to use public or private transport independently had a 2.7-fold higher chance (95% CI, 1.5-4.9) of returning to work than those unable to travel independently. Other factors significantly associated with employment included marital status, with marriage having a favorable influence; age at injury, with age below 25 years being favorable; preinjury occupation; and vocational training after injury. The importance of functional independence training in rehabilitation is stressed. CONCLUSIONS: Functional independence was a strong factor predicting return to work. Rehabilitation focused on education, vocational training, self-care ability, community mobility, and environmental modifications could improve employability after SCI.     

Predicting community reintegration after spinal cord injury from demographic and injury characteristics

OBJECTIVE: To determine the influence of demographic and injury characteristics on the community reintegration of people with spinal cord injury (SCI). DESIGN: Prospective cross-sectional and longitudinal examination of individuals with SCI. SETTING: Follow-up of individuals at 1, 2, 5, 10, 15, and 20 years after SCI who received their initial rehabilitation in a Regional Model Spinal Cord Injury System. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 3,835 individuals who met the inclusion criteria for the National SCI Database were studied cross-sectionally, and a subset of 347 individuals who were also enrolled in a longitudinal study of aging with SCI. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Subscales of the Craig Handicap Assessment and Reporting Technique (CHART). RESULTS: Neurologic classification, age, years postinjury, gender, ethnicity, and education explain 29% of the variance in physical independence, 29% of the variance in mobility, 28% of the variance in occupation. 9% of the variance in social integration, and 18% of the variance in economic self-sufficiency. CONCLUSIONS: Although these factors are inadequate to explain most of the variation in community reintegration (handicap) after SCI, they might appropriately be used to adjust for case-mix differences when comparing rehabilitation facilities and techniques.     

Acute predictors of return to employment after traumatic brain injury: a longitudinal follow-up

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relation between selected acute injury and patient characteristics and subsequent return to work 1 to 5 years postinjury. DESIGN: Longitudinal design with prospectively collected data. Data were collected on patients at the time of injury and each year postinjury for up to 5 years. SETTING: Four medical centers in the federally sponsored Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems project that provide emergency medical services, intensive and acute medical care, inpatient rehabilitation, and a spectrum of community rehabilitation services. PARTICIPANTS: Patients were selected from a national database of 538 rehabilitation inpatients admitted to acute care within 8 hours of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and seen at 1 to 5 years follow-up. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Employment status (employed vs not employed) at 1 to 5 years postinjury. Logistic regression analyses were performed to determine the extent to which selected variables predicted employment status at years 1 to 5 postinjury. RESULTS: At year 1 postinjury, preinjury productivity, age, education, and rehabilitation length of stay were all significantly associated with postinjury employment. Preinjury employment and productivity and age significantly predicted employment at postinjury year 2. At year 3 postinjury, preinjury productivity, age, and FIMtrade mark instrument discharge score significantly predicted employment status. Age was significantly associated with employment status at year 4 postinjury. Preinjury employment and productivity and Disability Rating Scale discharge score were found to be significant predictors of postinjury employment at year 5 follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: The relationship between certain acute injury and patient variables (eg, age, preinjury productivity, education, discharge FIM) and subsequent return to work may provide rehabilitation professionals with useful information regarding the intensity and types of services needed for individuals in the vocational rehabilitation planning process.     

Prediction of "intent", "discrepancy with intent", and "discrepancy with nonintent" for the patient with chronic pain to return to work after treatment at a pain facility.

OBJECTIVE: We previously determined that "intent" to return to work post pain facility treatment is the strongest predictor for actual return to work. The purposes of the present study were the following: to identify variables predicting "intent"; to predict membership in the "discrepant with intent" group [those chronic pain patients (CPPs) who do intend to return to work but do not]; and to predict membership in the "discrepant with nonintent" group (those CPPs who do not intend to return to work but do). DESIGN: A total of 128 CPPs completed a series of rating scales and yes/no questions relating to their preinjury job perceptions and a question relating to "intent" to return to the same type of preinjury job post-pain facility treatment. These CPPs were part of a grant study for prediction of return to work, and therefore their work status was determined at 1, 3, 6, 12, 18, 24, and 30 months posttreatment. Preinjury job perceptions and other demographic variables were utilized using stepwise discriminant analysis to identify variables predicting "intent" and predicting membership in the "discrepant with intent" and "discrepant with nonintent" groups. SETTING: Pain facility (multidisciplinary pain center). PATIENTS: Consecutive low back pain CPPs, mean age 41.66+/-9.54 years, with the most frequent highest educational status being high school completion (54.7%) and 60.2% being worker compensation CPPs. RESULTS: "Intent" was predicted by (in decreasing order of probability) postinjury job availability variables, job characteristic variables, and a litigation variable. "Discrepant with intent" was predicted by (in decreasing order of probability) for the 1-month follow-up time point, postinjury job availability variables, pain variables, a litigation variable, and a function perception variable, and for the final follow-up time point, pain variables only. "Discrepant with nonintent" was predicted by (in order of decreasing probability) for the 1-month follow-up time point, a job availability variable, a demographic variable, and a functional perception variable, and for the final follow-up time point a pain variable and a job availability variable. The percentage of CPPs correctly classified by each of these analyses was as follows: "intent" 81.25%, "discrepant with intent" 87.01% (at 1-month follow-up) and 74.03% (final follow-up), "discrepant with nonintent" 92.16% (at 1-month follow-up) and 75.00% (final follow-up). CONCLUSIONS: CPPs intentions of returning to their preinjury jobs are mainly determined by job availability and job characteristic variables but surprisingly not by pain variables. However, the results with "discrepant with intent" and "discrepant with nonintent" groups indicate that actual return to work is determined by an interaction between job availability variables and pain variables with pain variables predominating for long-term outcome.     

Late neurologic recovery after traumatic spinal cord injury

OBJECTIVE: To present Model Spinal Cord Injury System (MSCIS) data on late neurologic recovery after 1 year after spinal cord injury (SCI). DESIGN: Longitudinal study of neurologic status as determined by annual evaluations at 1 and 5 years postinjury. SETTING: MSCIS centers contributing data on people with traumatic SCI to the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center database. PARTICIPANTS: People with traumatic SCI (N=987) admitted to an MSCIS between 1988 and 1997 with 1- and 5-year follow-up examinations. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) Impairment Scale (AIS) classification, motor index scores (MIS), motor level, and neurologic level of injury (NLI), measured and compared for changes over time. RESULTS: The majority of subjects (94.4%) who had a neurologically complete injury at 1 year remained complete at 5 years postinjury, with 3.5% improving to AIS grade B, and up to 1.05% each improving to AIS grades C and D. There was a statistically significant change noted for MIS. There were no significant changes for the motor level and NLI over 4 years; however, approximately 20% of subjects improved their motor level and NLI. People with complete and incomplete injuries had similar improvements in motor level, but subjects with an incomplete injury had a greater chance of improvement in NLI and MIS. CONCLUSIONS: There was a small degree of neurologic recovery (between 1 and 5 y postinjury) after a traumatic SCI. Late conversion, between 1 and 5 years, from a neurologically complete to an incomplete injury occurred in 5.6% of cases, but in only up to 2.1% was there a conversion from motor complete to motor incomplete status. Limitations of this study included changes in the ASIA classification during the study and in the intra- and interrater reliability typically seen in longitudinal studies of the ASIA standards. Functional changes were not studied. Knowledge of the degree of late recovery may help in analyzing newer interventions to enhance recovery.     

Predicting "charge outliers" after spinal cord injury: a multicenter analysis of demographics, injury characteristics, outcomes, and rehabilitation charges

OBJECTIVE: To describe the distribution of charges, to distinguish between "charge outliers" and nonoutliers, and to identify a model that uses demographics and injury characteristics to predict charge outlier status in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI). DESIGN: Retrospective data analysis of patients admitted to 24 acute inpatient rehabilitation national Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems centers. Statistical analysis, including proportions, means, and standard deviations (SDs), were compiled for the following variables: demographic and injury information, rehabilitation charges, medical complications, associated injuries, and surgical procedures. SETTING: Tertiary, university medical centers participating in the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research's SCI Model Systems project. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 13,392 patients who were admitted to 24 acute, intensive, interdisciplinary rehabilitation settings after traumatic SCI between November 1972 and August 1996. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Statistical data analysis was used to determine significance between charge outliers and nonoutliers on the basis of demographic, injury characteristics, and clinical factors. Outliers, under the current diagnostic-related group system, are defined as cases in which lengths of stay exceed the mean by the lesser of 20 days or 1.94 SDs. RESULTS: Statistically significant differences were found between SCI charge outliers and nonoutliers based on ethnicity, education, employment, level of injury, American Spinal Injury Association impairment classification, and sponsor of hospitalization. On average, outliers were 4 years older than nonoutliers, and tended to have more associated injuries, pressure ulcers, surgical procedures, and medical complications. A forward-conditional stepwise multiple logistic regression analysis was used to confirm univariate analysis and to predict the presence or absence of outliers based on the predictor variables. A model for the prediction of SCI charge outlier status was defined. CONCLUSIONS: SCI charge outliers are most likely to be retired, insured, have high cervical level injuries, and be educated beyond high school. Improved treatment efficiency serves as a means of cost reduction and is a reason to identify outlier characteristics.     

Employment after spinal cord injury.

The purpose of this study was to compare preinjury and postinjury employment rates in a diverse sample of persons with spinal cord injuries. Several employment variables were compared in individuals grouped into cohorts based on injury level, chronologic age, age at injury, time since injury, and years of education. The study sample (N = 286) was highly educated (mean = 14.2 years of education) and was an average of 18.6 years postinjury. Forty-eight percent of the participants were working at the time of the study, and 75% had worked at some time since injury. Only 12% of the persons who were employed at the time of injury returned to the same job after injury. Several noteworthy findings among the groups were: (1) participants with paraplegia were more likely than those with quadriplegia to return to their preinjury jobs; (2) employment rates were dramatically lower in the 51- to 60-year group; (3) more than 85% of persons in the cohorts who were at least 21 years postinjury had worked at some time since injury; (4) younger age at injury was associated with higher current employment rates; and (5) nearly 95% of all participants with 16 or more years of education had worked at some point since injury. The study results reaffirmed the need for comprehensive rehabilitation, identified the need for retraining several years after injury, and pointed to the role of higher education in producing high employment rates.     

Abstract 11: Effect of medical complications on return to work after spinal cord injury.

Objective: To determine the effect of medical complications on return to work after spinal cord injury (SCI). Design: Retrospective analysis of case series. Setting: Multicenter study of national database of 20 Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems centers. Participants: Patients 18 to 55 years of age, admitted for acute SCI, and who were employed prior to injury. Interventions: Not applicable. Main Outcome Measure: Employment status. An analysis was performed of data collected at 1, 3, and 5 years postinjury for patients grouped as paraplegia (complete and incomplete) and tetraplegia (complete and incomplete). Categorical data (bladder management, grade of pressure ulcers, pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis) was reduced to either present or not present, and analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U test for nonparametric data. Number of pressures ulcers was analyzed using a t test. Logistic regression was used to determine if the above variables had predictive power regarding employment status. Results: The incidence of return to work after SCI was 27%, 20%, and 23% at years 1, 3, and 5, respectively. Persons who returned to work at year 1 were less likely (P<.05) to have pressure ulcers. Persons who returned to work at year 3 were more likely (P<.05) to have normal bladder management. Logistic regression analysis revealed that only bladder management was significantly (P<.01) predictive of employment status at year 3 (for individuals with incomplete paraplegia or tetraplegia) and at year 5 (incomplete tetraplegia). Conclusions: Return to work rates after SCI were consistent with previous research. This study suggests that medical complications (eg, pressure ulcers, bladder management) which are associated with employability, will vary with time after injury and severity of injury. Further research is required to understand more fully the psychosocial implications of medical complications and how they affect employability after SCI.     

Gender and minority differences in the pain experience of people with spinal cord injury

OBJECTIVES: To examine gender and minority differences in the prevalence and severity of pain in people with traumatic-onset spinal cord injury (SCI) during follow-up, and to determine the relation of those differences to demographic characteristics, etiology of injury, and level and extent of the lesion. DESIGN: Survey and analysis of cross-sectional data using case-control methodology and multiple regression methods. SETTING: Model Spinal Cord Injury Systems (MSCIS). PARTICIPANTS: A total of 7379 individuals with traumatic-onset SCI from 16 MSCIS entered in the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center database between 1998 and 2002. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Prevalence and severity of pain as reported in follow-up surveys. RESULTS: Pain prevalence remained fairly stable over time, ranging from 81% at 1 year postinjury to 82.7% at 25 years. Pain was no more common in women than in men, nor did pain severity scores differ significantly. However, pain prevalence was significantly lower among nonwhites, although they tended to report a higher average pain severity score when pain was present. Also, people with SCI who were employed when injured, who had more than a high school education, and who were not tetraplegic reported a higher prevalence of pain. Pain interfered with work more often for women and nonwhites during some, but not all, follow-up years, and for those who were not employed at the time of interview, for those whose SCI was caused by violence, for those with paraplegia, and for those with incomplete SCI. CONCLUSIONS: Pain is a common and significant problem for the majority of people with SCI. It may interfere less frequently with work over time, which suggests that an adaptive process may be occurring. Gender differences in the pain experience did not emerge, but nonwhites tended to have a lower prevalence of pain. If pain was present, nonwhites tended to report more severe pain than did whites. Further research is needed to delineate the possible psychosocial and biomedical causes of these findings.     

Return to work after major trauma

OBJECTIVE: To quantify the prevalence of return to work after major trauma, and to investigate the determinants of postinjury work status. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: University Medical Centre Utrecht, a level 1 trauma centre in the Netherlands. METHOD: All severely injured (ISS > 16) adult (age = 16+) trauma survivors admitted from January 1999 to December 2000 who were full-time employed at the time of the injury were selected for follow-up (n = 214). Response rate was 93%. Outcome was assessed at a mean of 15 months (SD = 1.5) after injury. Multivariate logistic regression analyses identified determinants at hospital discharge and at follow-up. RESULTS: Following injury 58.4% of the patients (n = 125) were able to return to full-time employment, 21.5% had a part-time job, and 20.1% did not return to work. Univariate analysis yielded the following significant determinants of postinjury work status: age, comorbidity, injury severity score, brain injury, spinal cord injury, length of stay in an intensive care unit, hospital stay, discharge destination, percentage of permanent impairment (according to the fourth American Medical Association guide (AMA)), limitations in activities of daily living and cognitive complaints. Logistic regression analyses (23% explained variance) identified spinal cord injury, duration of hospital stay, discharge destination and age as determinants of return to work at hospital discharge. At follow-up, determinants of return to work included AMA, activities of daily living, cognitive complaints and being discharged home (51% explained variance). CONCLUSIONS: Around 60% of the patients returned to their pre-injury work status after major trauma. The return to work rate was only partly explained by disability at follow-up. Independent determinants of return to work differ with the time of assessment.     

Spinal cord injury: its short-term impact on marital status

We have had the impression that patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) experience fewer marriages and more divorces than their noninjured counterparts. To test this impression statistically, we examined the influence of SCI in association with other select variables on the marital status of 276 patients injured between 1973 and 1980 and treated at the University of Alabama in Birmingham Spinal Cord Injury Care System. The expected numbers of marriages and divorces in the study population were based on comparison with reported marriage and divorce rates for the general US population. Discriminant analysis was employed to identify variables associated significantly with a postinjury change in marital status. Substantially fewer marriages and more divorces occurred than were expected (p less than 0.05). No variables were associated significantly with marrying within three years of injury. However, divorcing patients were significantly more likely to be young black women who had been previously divorced, had no children, and had Barthel scores of less than 80. Using the most effective combination of these variables, 38.7% of the variance was explained, and the postinjury marital status of 81.5% of patients married at injury was predicted correctly. While other determinants of postinjury marital status undoubtedly exist, the likelihood of divorce can be assessed using a comparatively small set of predictor variables.     

脊髓损伤患者再就业影响因素分析

目的探讨脊髓损伤患者受伤18个月后的再就业情况及对其再就业有影响的社会心理因素。方法设计结构性问卷收集161名脊髓损伤患者相关资料。问卷包括人口统计资料信息,如性别、年龄、婚姻状态、教育程度、工作状态和受伤程度等,以及世界卫生组织残疾评估量表、残疾接受量表、Rosenberg自我尊重量表、抑郁量表、自我效能量表及Zimet多维觉察社会支持量表的内容。结果再就业率为31%。Logistic回归分析显示,脊髓损伤类型（截瘫或四肢瘫）（OR=4.397）、残疾接受态度（OR=0.979）、自我残疾评估（OR=0.948）及信仰/信念对日常生活的影响（OR=0.681）4个社会心理因素对再就业影响最大。结论对于脊髓损伤发生18个月后的患者,残疾类型及残疾后对社会心理因素调节与适应的程度是制约再就业的主要原因;而外部因素,如社会支持因素影响较少。     

Nontraumatic spinal cord injury: demographic characteristics and complications

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the demographic characteristics and complications of nontraumatic spinal cord injury (NT/SCI), to compare patients who were admitted for initial rehabilitation with readmission rehabilitation patients, to compare our findings with those of other studies, and to develop a model to predict the length of stay (LOS). DESIGN: Retrospective, 3-year, case series. SETTING: Tertiary medical unit specializing in SCI rehabilitation in Australia. PARTICIPANTS: Consecutive sample of 134 adult referred inpatients with NT/SCI (58% women; median age, 61y). Patients requiring initial rehabilitation or readmission were included. INTERVENTION: Chart review. Main Outcomes Measures: Demographic characteristics, neurologic injury, etiology, comorbidities, and complications of NT/SCI. RESULTS: The most common cause of NT/SCI was tumor (20.1%), but there were many different etiologies. Tetraplegia occurred in 32.8% of patients, and 56% had motor incomplete injuries. Most patients (63%) had at least 1 complication, including urinary tract infection (32.8%), pressure ulcer (31.5%), and pain (18.7%). Initial rehabilitation patients were significantly older (initial median, 69y vs readmission median, 54y; P=.0001). A multivariate model for LOS was able to predict 52% of the variance. CONCLUSIONS: NT/SCI rehabilitation patients have a different demographic profile compared with traumatic SCI (T/SCI) patients and a lower prevalence of many of the complications that affect T/SCI patients. There are differences between initial and readmission patients.     

Prediction of postinjury employment and percentage of time worked after spinal cord injury

Krause JS, Terza JV, Erten M, Focht KL, Dismuke CE. Prediction of postinjury employment and percentage of time worked after spinal cord injury.ObjectiveTo use a 2-part model to identify biographic, injury, educational, and vocational predictors of postinjury employment and the percentage of time employed after spinal cord injury (SCI) onset.DesignSurvey.SettingData were collected at 3 hospitals in the Southeastern and Midwestern United States.ParticipantsParticipants were adults with traumatic SCI of at least 1 year duration, all under 65 years at the time of SCI onset. A total of 1329 observations were used in the analysis.InterventionsNot applicable.Main Outcome MeasuresPostinjury employment, defined by whether the individual had ever been employed after SCI and percentage of time employed after SCI onset.ResultsAlmost 52% of participants worked at some point in time postinjury. Among those who had worked postinjury, the mean portion of time spent working was 0.56. Several factors were significantly related to postinjury employment and portion of time worked postinjury. The probability of postinjury employment increased with successively less severe injury. However, only ambulatory participants were found to have a significantly greater portion of time postinjury among those who became employed. Having obtained either a 4-year or graduate degree after injury was associated with a greater likelihood of postinjury employment. Conversely, among those who worked postinjury, having obtained those degrees prior to injury was associated with a greater portion of time employed. Being white, a man, having completed a 4-year degree or a graduate degree, and having worked in the service industry prior to SCI onset were all associated with a greater portion of time working among those who had worked.ConclusionsThe factors precipitating PE are not identical to those associated with a greater portion of time employed after SCI onset.     

Perceived information needs of community-dwelling persons with chronic spinal cord injury: Findings of a survey and impact of race

Objective. To examine the perceived information needs of community-dwelling individuals with chronic spinal cord injury (SCI) and to determine factors that influence these needs.

Design and participants. Cross-sectional survey mailed to 620 persons with chronic SCI who completed acute inpatient rehabilitation.

Results. Of 103 (17%) returned surveys, 82 contained complete information and were useable for this study. Individuals with chronic SCI (M time since injury = 7 ± 6 years) endorsed a multitude of information needs across a broad range of domains. Participant endorsements were most commonly observed in the areas of aging (73%), research (72%), financial aid (66%), and education (63%). Independent variables expected to influence information needs, including Internet use, whether the rehabilitation specialist also served as the primary care physician, and time since injury, showed no significant effect. Race/ethnicity was found to predict perceived information needs, with nonwhite participants endorsing a significantly greater degree of needs than white participants in 11 of 23 (48%) domains.

Conclusions. Perceived information needs of community-dwelling persons with SCI are not fully met years after discharge from acute inpatient rehabilitation, which may have implications with respect to psychological adjustment. Race/ethnicity appears to exert a significant influence on the endorsement of perceived information needs, but this finding must be investigated further considering other possible mediating/moderating variables. Results must be considered in light of the relatively low response rate of eligible participants.     

Rehabilitation outcomes after infection-related spinal cord disease: a retrospective analysis

OBJECTIVES: To compare injury characteristics, demographics, and functional outcomes of patients with infection-related spinal cord disease (IR-SCD) vs. those with traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI). DESIGN: A 10-yr retrospective review of 34 consecutive patients with IR-SCD admitted to an SCI rehabilitation unit at a Level 1 tertiary university medical center. Outcome measures included length of stay (LOS), FIM motor scores, and home discharge rates. RESULTS: The cause of IR-SCD was most often spinal epidural abscess secondary to Staphylococcus aureus (74%). Weakness (90%) and neck/back pain (84%) were the most frequent initial admitting symptoms. Identifiable risk factors included history of recent infection (42%), diabetes mellitus (32%), and intravenous drug abuse (26%). SCD-related complications most commonly included pain (81%), urinary tract infection (52%), and spasticity (45%). When compared with traumatic SCI (n = 560), patients with IR-SCD comprised significantly less of the SCI/D rehabilitation admissions (3% vs. 61%), were older (53 vs. 40 yrs), and more often female (35% vs. 16%). Injuries were more commonly located in the thoracic region (48% vs. 38%). Patients with IR-SCD more often had incomplete injuries (94% vs. 57%). Thirty-two percent of IR-SCD patients had improvements in AIS impairment scale classification. LOS was longer on acute care (25 vs. 16 days), but similar on rehabilitation (36 vs. 34 days), and with lower FIM motor changes (16.2 vs. 22.8) during rehabilitation. Patients with IR-SCD were less often discharged to home (56% vs. 75%). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with infection-related SCD comprise a significant subset of SCI/D rehabilitation admissions and have differing demographic and injury characteristics compared with traumatic SCI. Despite less-severe injury characteristics and similar rehabilitation LOS, they achieve lower functional improvements and are less often discharged home, underscoring the importance of patient/family education and discharge planning.     

Perceived information needs of community-dwelling persons with chronic spinal cord injury: findings of a survey and impact of race

Objective. To examine the perceived information needs of community-dwelling individuals with chronic spinal cord injury (SCI) and to determine factors that influence these needs.

Design and participants. Cross-sectional survey mailed to 620 persons with chronic SCI who completed acute inpatient rehabilitation.

Results. Of 103 (17%) returned surveys, 82 contained complete information and were useable for this study. Individuals with chronic SCI (M time since injury = 7 ± 6 years) endorsed a multitude of information needs across a broad range of domains. Participant endorsements were most commonly observed in the areas of aging (73%), research (72%), financial aid (66%), and education (63%). Independent variables expected to influence information needs, including Internet use, whether the rehabilitation specialist also served as the primary care physician, and time since injury, showed no significant effect. Race/ethnicity was found to predict perceived information needs, with nonwhite participants endorsing a significantly greater degree of needs than white participants in 11 of 23 (48%) domains.

Conclusions. Perceived information needs of community-dwelling persons with SCI are not fully met years after discharge from acute inpatient rehabilitation, which may have implications with respect to psychological adjustment. Race/ethnicity appears to exert a significant influence on the endorsement of perceived information needs, but this finding must be investigated further considering other possible mediating/moderating variables. Results must be considered in light of the relatively low response rate of eligible participants.     

Return to work following spinal cord injury: a review

Purpose. To review literature on return to work (RTW) and employment in persons with spinal cord injury (SCI), and present employment rates, factors influencing employment, and interventions aimed at helping people with SCI to obtain and sustain productive work.

Methods. A systematic review for 2000 – 2006 was carried out in PubMed/Medline, AMED, (ISI) Web of Science, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsycInfo and Sociological abstracts database. The keywords ‘spinal cord injuries’, ‘spinal cord disorder’, ‘spinal cord lesion’ or ‘spinal cord disease’ were cross-indexed with ‘employment’, ‘return to work’, ‘occupation’ or ‘vocational’.

Results. Out of approximately 270 hits, 110 references were used, plus 13 more found elsewhere. Among individuals with SCI working at the time of injury 21 – 67% returned to work after injury. RTW was higher in persons injured at a younger age, had less severe injuries and higher functional independence. Employment rate improved with time after SCI. Persons with SCI employed ranged from 11.5% to 74%. Individuals who sustained SCI during childhood or adolescence had higher adult employment rates. Most common reported barriers to employment were problems with transportation, health and physical limitations, lack of work experience, education or training, physical or architectural barriers, discrimination by employers, and loss of benefits. Individuals with SCI discontinue working at younger age.

Conclusions. This review confirmed low employment rates after SCI. Future research should explore interventions aimed at helping people with SCI to obtain and sustain productive work.