Telehealth: Reaching Out to Newly Injured Spinal Cord Patients

This study explores how telehealth interventions can help people with spinal cord injuries (SCI) avoid secondary health conditions after they leave the hospital. Patients received either video-based education, telephone-based education, or standard follow-up care. Researchers then tracked their health outcomes, like hospital visits and quality of life. The initial findings suggest that both video and telephone interventions can improve health outcomes for SCI patients after they return home, potentially reducing the need for rehospitalization.

• 1
  At one year post-discharge, health-related quality of life scores were significantly higher for the intervention groups compared to standard care.
• 2
  The video group averaged approximately 3 hospital days per year, the telephone group 5 days per year, while the standard care group averaged nearly 8 days per year.
• 3
  The study found a high rate of depression in the population. Symptoms of depression were reduced by the end of year one by 7 points in the telephone group and 10 points in the standard group, but only by 2 points in the video group.