Using Evidence To Inform Practice and Policy To Enhance the Quality of Care for Persons with Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury

This article describes how a knowledge translation framework and an evidence-based policy-making process were integrated to clarify the problem, frame options, and plan implementation, to impact clinical practice and policy in the area of traumatic spinal cord injury (tSCI). The Access to Care and Timing (ACT) project is focused on optimizing the access and timing of specialized healthcare delivery for persons sustaining a tSCI in Canada. A simulation model was developed that uses current patient data to address complex problems faced by the healthcare system. The standardized collection of outcome-oriented indicators will help to evaluate the access and timing of care and to define the ideal system of care after SCI.

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  Variability in care across Canada highlights that there are opportunities for improvement and shared learning across facilities.
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  At present in Canada, there are no national indicators to monitor performance and patient flow after tSCI.
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  Workshop participants prioritized two indicators important from the clinician and patient perspective—timely admission to rehabilitation and meaningful community participation.