Conception and development of Self-Management indicators to advance the quality of spinal cord injury rehabilitation: SCI-High Project

The Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine, 2021 · DOI: 10.1080/10790268.2021.1961054 · Published: January 1, 2021

Spinal Cord Injury Patient Experience Rehabilitation

Simple Explanation

This study focuses on improving self-management skills for individuals with spinal cord injuries (SCI/D) during rehabilitation. Self-management is important for reducing health complications and improving quality of life after a spinal cord injury. The researchers worked with experts to define self-management and identify key indicators (structure, process, and outcome) that can be used to measure and improve self-management education and skill acquisition. The goal is to integrate these indicators into rehabilitation programs to empower individuals with SCI/D to better manage their health and daily activities, and successfully reintegrate into the community.

Study Duration

18 Months

Participants

Experts in self-management across Canada

Evidence Level

Not specified

Key Findings

1
The structure indicator is the proportion of staff with appropriate education and training in self-management principles.
2
The process indicator is the proportion of SCI/D inpatients who have received a self-management assessment related to specific patient self-management goal(s) within 30 days of admission.
3
The outcome indicator involves Skill and Technique Acquisition, and Self-Monitoring and Insight subscores of the modified Health Education Impact Questionnaire.

Research Summary

The SCI-High Project aimed to develop and select quality of care indicators for self-management in spinal cord injury rehabilitation to address inconsistent practices across hospitals and improve patient outcomes. The project involved defining self-management, reviewing existing evidence, developing a Driver diagram, and selecting structure, process, and outcome indicators through expert consensus and rapid-cycle evaluations. The selected indicators focus on staff training, patient assessment, and skill acquisition, with the goal of promoting self-management education, personalizing skills training, and empowering individuals with SCI/D for community integration.

Practical Implications

Enhanced Staff Training

The structure indicator emphasizes the importance of ongoing training for healthcare professionals in self-management principles, leading to improved staff capacity and knowledge.

Personalized Rehabilitation

The process indicator allows for the personalization of skills training based on individual patient goals, ensuring that rehabilitation is tailored to specific needs and priorities.

Improved Patient Outcomes

By focusing on skill acquisition and self-monitoring, the outcome indicator aims to empower individuals with SCI/D to manage their health effectively, leading to better community integration and a reduced burden on the healthcare system.

Study Limitations

1
Self-management is a complex construct to measure in a condensed timeframe.
2
Assessment of self-management needs and accompanying strategies are unique to the individual and vary in complexity.
3
Readiness to receive self-management education is difficult to assess.

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