Primary Care in the Spinal Cord Injury Population: Things to Consider in the Ongoing Discussion

Spinal cord injury (SCI) creates specific health needs that, if not addressed, can negatively impact the health and quality of life of individuals with SCI. Preventive care is essential to reduce illness and death in this population, but SCI patients face challenges in accessing such care. Preventive care is typically provided by primary care doctors, but they may lack training in SCI-specific needs. SCI specialists, on the other hand, may not be fully trained in all aspects of preventive care. Effective care requires knowledge of recommended screenings, management of SCI-specific conditions, and care coordination. Focusing on preventive care can improve the health and quality of life for SCI patients. Addressing knowledge gaps among both primary care providers and SCI specialists can increase the likelihood that SCI patients receive the necessary preventive and specialized care.

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  Preventive care is generally provided by general primary care providers, but not all primary care providers are trained in recognizing and addressing spinal cord injury-specific needs.
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  SCI providers generally are not trained in addressing all aspects of preventive care.
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  Knowing the recommended preventive care screenings, recognizing and managing specific conditions seen after a SCI, and seamless coordination of care between general practitioners and SCI specialists are some of the interventions to help prevent health complications.