Perspectives on Recovery and Interventions to Restore Function Across the First Year of Spinal Cord Injury
Abstract
Rationale and Objective: The goals of this study are to understand how Veterans and civilians with spinal cord injury (SCI) experience recovery during the first year of injury as they attempt to reintegrate into the community. More information is needed to understand how people with SCI define recovery and how their experiences shape priorities and interests in treatment options and experimental interventions aimed at improving function. A significant influencing factor is how people with SCI view “recovery”, how internal and external factors shape this view, and whether they develop a dynamic, internal gradient of recovery expectations over time. To accomplish this, we will conduct longitudinal interviews of Veterans and civilians living with SCI and their caregivers. Their perspectives and experiences of finding information, navigating health and research institutions, and contending with bureaucracies deserve further exploration to identify processes that facilitate or hinder access to interventions that improve function, quality of life, and reintegration into the community. Given that Veterans often have access to resources that are less available to civilians with SCI, it is unknown how these differentially-available resources influence recovery perceptions and community reintegration. Persons with SCI to be helped: The results of this study will ultimately impact all people living with SCI. Understanding the lived experience of Veterans and civilians as they undergo recovery and navigate resources for improvement offers opportunities for clinicians and researchers to improve access to and develop more relevant treatments with the end goal of improving function and reintegration. The findings of this proposed study will provide insights into how people living with SCI and their families experience recovery and access treatments, identifying obstacles arising from regulations, insurance, and bureaucracies. By comparing experiences of Veterans and civilians, the present study will determine whether Veterans experience unique obstacles, or if they have similar experiences as civilians. Potential Clinical Applications, Benefits, Risks: Evidence from this study, perspectives of Veterans and civilians living with SCI and their families, will influence uptake of existing treatment options and guide researchers toward relevant avenues for restoring function. While there is risk that some people with SCI may experience emotional or psychological difficulties as they recount their experiences, the benefit of giving voice to these experiences far outweighs this risk. The SCI community will greatly benefit from expressing their experiences about obstacles, barriers, bureaucracies, what works, and what does not. This study does not involve direct interventions, however, results will contribute important information about the lived recovery experience of people with SCI. This information can be used to influence access to existing treatment and development of experimental interventions to restore function, thus facilitating successful reintegration into the workforce and communities. Projected Time to Achieve Desired Outcome: By conclusion of year one, this study will have generated early results to support policy briefs to the DoD and VA. By conclusion of year two, early results of this study will be presented at scientific meetings and published in research journals. By conclusion of year three, results of this study can contribute to a resource guide for Veterans and civilians with SCI, educational resources for researchers and clinicians, and a policy manuscript for DoD and VA use. Contribution of Advancing the Field of SCI Research: Understanding the experiences that Veterans and civilians living with SCI have during recovery is critical for clinicians who prescribe and researchers who develop life-improving interventions. It is important to investigate the experiences of people who are
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Nov 19, 2019
- Source ID
- W81XWH1910347
Entities
People
- Kimberly Anderson
Organizations
- Case Western Reserve University
- United States Army