The effects of using the internet on the health-related quality of life in people with spinal cord injury: a controlled study (original) (raw)
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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...
Journal of Internet Applications and Management, 2016
Internet has been reported as one of the most important place that patients with SCI share their experiences. The literature suggests that patients having SCI have some online experiences on web as helpful during their remaining lives. However, there are only a few studies about the communication of Turkish patients of spinal cord injury (SCI). This exploratory, qualitative netnographic study was aimed to reveal the experiences of a virtual community comprised patients with SCI. While netnographic analysis offers a potentially suitable approach for various virtual communities, this study applied a netnography approach and was based on data from a SCI community. The results of this study indicated that six main forums that the patients can mainly involve in the forums and suggested the need for changes of virtual community perception and group interaction experiences. It is also found that interest in the medical news relating to the hope of recovery was the most important factor
Prevalence of Internet use amongst an elective spinal surgery outpatient population
European Spine …, 2010
Nationally 62% of individuals in Ireland have internet access. Previous published work has suggested that internet use is higher among those with low back pain. We aimed to determine the levels of internet access and use amongst an elective spinal outpatient population and determine what characteristics influence these. We distributed a self-designed questionnaire to patients attending elective spinal outpatient clinics. Data including demographics, history of surgery, number of visits, level of satisfaction with previous consultations, access to the internet, possession of health insurance, and details regarding use of the internet to research one's spinal complaint were collected. 213 patients completed the questionnaire. 159 (75%) had access to the internet. Of this group 48 (23%) used the internet to research their spinal condition. Increasing age, higher education level, and possession of health insurance were all significantly associated with access to the internet (p \ 0.05). A higher education level predicted greater internet use while possession of insurance weakly predicted non-use (p \ 0.05). In our practice, internet access is consistent with national statistics and use is comparable to previous reports. Approximately, one quarter of outpatients will use the internet to research their spinal condition. Should we use this medium to disseminate information we need to be aware some groups may not have access.
Web-Based Specialist Support for Spinal Cord Injury Person's Care: Lessons Learned
International journal of telemedicine and applications, 2012
Persons with disability from spinal cord injury (SCI) are subject to high risk of pathological events and need a regular followup even after discharge from the rehabilitation hospital. To help in followup, we developed a web portal for providing online specialist as well as GP support to SCI persons. After a feasibility study with 13 subjects, the portal has been introduced in the regional healthcare network in order to make it compliant with current legal regulations on data protection, including smartcard authentication. Although a number of training courses have been made to introduce SCI persons to portal use (up to 50 users), the number of accesses remained very low. Reasons for that have been investigated by means of a questionnaire submitted to the initial feasibility study subjects and included the still easier use of telephone versus our web-based smartcard-authenticated portal, in particular, because online communications are still perceived as an unusual way of interacting with the doctor. To summarize, the overall project has been appreciated by the users, but when it is time to ask for help to, the specialist, it is still much easier to make a phone call.
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.
International Journal of Telerehabilitation, 2015
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a highly prevalent health concern in the United States, with an estimated 1.7 million people sustaining a TBI each year (Faul, Xu, Wald, & Coronado, 2010). The impact of such an injury can cause lifelong impairment, including occupational restrictions, as well as cognitive, behavioral and emotional sequelae (Ponsford et al., 2014). Many people suffering from TBI live in remote areas, and often have poor access to necessary rehabilitative services on a regular, longer-term basis (Johnstone, Nossaman, Schopp, Holmquist, & Rupright, 2002). To address this problem, telerehabilitationa service delivery model that uses computer-based services to provide assistance to patients in remote areashas increasingly been implemented by medical facilities. Telerehabilitation has shown promising results in both improved outcomes and patient satisfaction with treatment (Schopp, Johnstone, & Merveille, 2000). Importantly, Internet use in disabled populations is also on the rise, making this model more accessible (Vaccaro, Hart, Whyte, & Buchhofer, 2007). Separate studies by Vaccaro et al., Egan et al., and Goodman et al. show that disabled populations with access to a computer use the Internet frequently (5-7 times per week), and that those with no access to a computer strongly desire to go online (Egan,
Online support for individuals with spinal cord injuries: An ethnographic investigation
The Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine, 2013
Background: Although social support is an important protective factor for individuals with spinal cord injuries (SCIs), individuals often encounter significant barriers to obtaining support after experiencing a SCI. It has been suggested that the Internet may serve to help individuals with disabilities overcome common barriers in obtaining support, yet research examining the efficacy of Internet-based support for individuals with SCI has been mixed. Objective: To develop a more nuanced understanding of how individuals with SCI can or might use the Internet for support. Design: Using an ethnographic approach, we conducted semi-structured interviews with nine individuals with SCI to explore perceived needs and barriers to information-seeking and online support. Setting: Participants were recruited from Veterans Administration medical center outpatient and inpatient units providing specialty care to individuals with SCIs and from a community SCI Center of Excellence. Results: Individuals with SCI gain emotional, problem-focused, and reciprocal support from online sources. Conclusions: Online resources can provide important opportunities for social support for individuals with SCI.