Web-Based Specialist Support for Spinal Cord Injury Person's Care: Lessons Learned (original) (raw)

ICT-Based Health Care Services for Individuals with Spinal Cord Injuries: A Feasibility Study

Sensors, 2020

In the Republic of Korea, 90.5% of those living with spinal cord injury (SCI) are faced with medical complications that require chronic care. Some of the more common ones include urinary tract infections, pressure sores, and pain symptomatology. These and other morbidities have been recognized to deteriorate the individual’s health, eventually restricting their community participation. Telerehabilitation, using information and communication technology, has propelled a modern-day movement in providing comprehensive medical services to patients who have difficulty in mobilizing themselves to medical care facilities. This study aims to verify the effectiveness of health care and management in the SCI population by providing ICT-based health care services. We visited eight individuals living with chronic SCI in the community, and provided ICT-based health management services. After using respiratory and urinary care devices with the provision of home visit occupational therapy, data acq...

Digital Health Rehabilitation Can Improve Access to Care in Spinal Cord Injury in the UK: A Proposed Solution

International Journal of Telerehabilitation, 2020

Lack of specialist beds, inadequate finance and shortage of skilled staff make it difficult for Spinal Cord Injury Centres (SCICs) in the United Kingdom (UK) to admit all newly injured individuals. Length of stay of those admitted can be too brief. At discharge, follow-up care is sparse and inadequate. We therefore propose that specialist spinal units redefine their roles and act as catalysts to build capacity by enhancing expertise in the wider community. SCICs can devolve certain tasks locally to less specialised units with their support, training, and guidance. This Commentary further proposes that use of Digital Health Technologies, (i.e., to deploy telemedicine, telehealth, and telerehabilitation), can enhance rehabilitation opportunities. The authors set-forth their vision for a comprehensive web portal that will serve as a primary resource for evidence-based practice, information on guidelines, care pathways, and protocols of SCI management. At any stage during the acute mana...

Effect of Web-Based Training on Complication Control and Quality of Life of Spinal Cord Damaged İndividuals: Randomized Controlled Trial

Clinical and Experimental Health Sciences, 2021

Objective: This study was conducted to determine the effect of web-based training on complication control and quality of life of spinal cordinjured patients. Methods: A pre-test-post-test, experimental study including a control group. A total of 62 men participated from two different physical therapy and rehabilitation hospitals. The training, monitoring, and data collection steps were provided via a webpage (www.omurgahemsirelikegitim. com) and telephone. Results: It was determined that there was a statistically significant difference between the experimental and control groups regarding the complications related to respiration, circulation, gastrointestinal, urinary, and musculoskeletal systems. Regarding the complications related to sexual life, comparing experimental and control groups the pre and post evaluations, detected an increase in difficulty in sexual life after the injury both experimental and control groups. There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of quality of life scale subscale scores. Conclusion: These results show that telephone monitoring plus web-based training is effective in controlling disease complications in patients with spinal cord injury. However, to improve the quality of life, it is important to establish interventions involving individuals and families, and physical, social and mental health services.

Participatory Design of an Online Self-Management Tool for Users With Spinal Cord Injury: Qualitative Study (Preprint)

BACKGROUND Rehospitalization rates resulting from secondary conditions in persons with spinal cord injuries (SCI) are high. Self-management programs for many chronic conditions have been associated with decreases in hospital readmissions. However, in the SCI community, evidence suggests that satisfaction with traditional self-management programs is low. Users with SCI have indicated preference for programs that are online (rather than in-person), that target SCI-specific concerns, and are led by peers with SCI. There is currently no program with all of these features, which addresses self-management of secondary conditions after SCI. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to provide details of a participatory design (PD) process for an internet-mediated self-management program for users with SCI (called SCI & U) and illustrate how it has been used to define design constraints and solutions. METHODS Users were involved in development as codesigners, codevelopers, and key informants. Cod...

Participatory Design of an Online Self-Management Tool for Users With Spinal Cord Injury: Qualitative Study

JMIR rehabilitation and assistive technologies, 2018

Rehospitalization rates resulting from secondary conditions in persons with spinal cord injuries (SCI) are high. Self-management programs for many chronic conditions have been associated with decreases in hospital readmissions. However, in the SCI community, evidence suggests that satisfaction with traditional self-management programs is low. Users with SCI have indicated preference for programs that are online (rather than in-person), that target SCI-specific concerns, and are led by peers with SCI. There is currently no program with all of these features, which addresses self-management of secondary conditions after SCI. The aim of this study was to provide details of a participatory design (PD) process for an internet-mediated self-management program for users with SCI (called SCI & U) and illustrate how it has been used to define design constraints and solutions. Users were involved in development as codesigners, codevelopers, and key informants. Codesigners and codevelopers wer...

A computer assisted follow up system for spinal cord injury patients

Paraplegia, 1994

The comprehensive care of patients with traumatic spinal cord injuries (SCI) necessitates, among other things, a structured, lifelong follow up. The high consumption of medical care in chronic SCI patients, often a result of diseases affecting many different organ systems, soon causes the cumulated medical documentation to be extensive and therefore hard to survey. The possibilities for rational patient management, adequate quality assurance, and clinical research may improve considerably by computerisation of medical records. A computer ised medical records system for SCI has recently been developed, using a semistructured medical record format for data input and a medical entity dictionary for facilitated data storage and retrieval. The principles for developing this computer-assisted follow up system are described.

The effects of using the internet on the health-related quality of life in people with spinal cord injury: a controlled study

Spinal Cord, 2014

Study design: Prospective cohort study. Objectives: To compare the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in people with spinal cord injury (SCI) who use the Internet versus those who don't and with a control group of able-bodied individuals. To investigate the frequency of Internet usage before and after injury. To evaluate the differences in terms of demographic features of both groups, analyze the variation in the Internet usage pattern of people with SCI before and after the injury. Setting: Istanbul, Turkey. Methods: A total of 60 people with SCI (38 Internet users, 22 nonusers) were included in the study. The control group consisted of 33 healthy persons of similar age and sex. The HRQoL was evaluated with the SF-36 Health Survey. Results: The scores of all the subscales of the SF-36, except vitality, were significantly lower in people with SCI than those of the controls'. The bodily pain subscale and physical component scores were found to be significantly higher in people with SCI using the Internet than the nonuser group with SCI (Po0.05). The Internet usage frequency increased significantly in people with SCI after injury (Po0.05). A significant correlation was found between time since injury and Internet use (r ¼ 0.365, P ¼ 0.007). Conclusion: Although HRQoL scores were lower in people with an SCI, the physical status component score was better in the Internet user SCI group. As there is a significant increase in the time spent online after injury, the Internet could be an effective modality to contact and educate people with an SCI.

What's happening now! Telehealth management of spinal cord injury/disorders

The Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine, 2011

Context: Spinal cord injury and/or disorders (SCI/D) is a costly chronic condition. Impaired mobility, and lengthy travel distances to access specialty providers are barriers that can have adverse impact on expenses and quality of care. Although ample opportunities for use of telehealth technologies exist between medical facilities, and from clinical to home settings, field experience has largely been focused on home telehealth services to promote better patient self-management skills and improve clinical outcomes. Findings: This paper provides an overview of published literature on use of telehealth technologies with the SCI/D population. Presentation of case studies describe telehealth as a potential strategy for addressing disparities in providing quality care, and explore comprehensive management of multiple health issues in individuals with SCI/D. Experiences of providers in both private sector health-care systems and VHA medical facilities are described. Development of telehealth clinical protocols and adaptive devices that can be integrated with equipment to accommodate for the functional limitations in the SCI/D population are discussed as necessary for expansion of use of telehealth services. Rigorous research studies are lacking. As use of this technology spreads and issues surrounding implementation are addressed, we look forward to increased research to assess and evaluate its efficacy in the SCI/D population. Conclusion/clinical relevance: Telehealth in the home setting appears to be able to help persons with SCI/D remain in the community. As the use of telehealth increases, research will be necessary in both clinical and home settings to assess its efficacy in improving outcomes in the SCI/D population.

Telehealth for people with spinal cord injury: a narrative review

Spinal cord, 2018

Narrative review. To find and discuss what has been published about the use of telehealth, on people with spinal cord injury (teleSCI). International. Cochrane Library, Ovid Medline, EMBASE and CINAHL, from 1996 till June 2017 have been searched. Searches in PsycINFO, from 1996 till September 2017, were included afterwards. Extracted data include studies in English language, containing information about spinal cord injury and disorders, and telehealth. Literature reviews, systematic reviews, and studies containing other types of neurological disorders, were excluded. Studies were grouped based on how and to whom telehealth was offered. Twenty nine studies were included in the review. They were categorized according to the way teleSCI was provided, and to what modality was used. Some studies utilized more than one modality. TeleSCI seems to be favorable concerning treatment and follow-up, as well as favorable socioeconomically and environmentally. The studies spanned across several ...