Utilization and access to healthcare services among community-dwelling people living with spinal cord injury

This study looks at how people with spinal cord injuries (SCI) use healthcare services, how easy it is for them to get care, and how satisfied they are with the care they receive. The study found that most participants had seen a primary care doctor or SCI specialist in the past year, but many had also visited the emergency room. People with lower incomes and less education were more likely to visit the ER. The study suggests that care for people with SCI could be improved by having SCI specialists coordinate care and by using telehealth to monitor patients remotely.

• 1
  Ninety-nine percent of respondents had a healthcare visit in the past 12-months with primary care physicians (79%), with SCI physiatrists (77%) and urologists (50%) being the most utilized.
• 2
  43% of the sample reported an ER visit within the past 12-months, with 21% reporting multiple visits.
• 3
  Individuals who did not visit an SCI physiatrist were significantly more likely to live in a rural area (P = 0.0075), not have private insurance (P = 0.0001), and experience a greater decrease in income post injury (P = 0.010).