Effects of online home nursing care model application on patients with traumatic spinal cord injury

Abstract

Objective: This study aims to explore the effects of an online home nursing care model application on patients with traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI). Methods: Eighty patients with TSCI discharged from the hospital between January 2015 and January 2018 were included in the study. The patients were randomly divided into two groups: The control group and the observation group (n = 40, each). The patients in the control group were given routine discharge guidance, while the patients in the observation group were given online home nursing care. The Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), Medical Outcomes Study 36-item short-form health survey (MOS SF-36), and complicationincidence rate were used to evaluate the efficiency of the online home nursing care model. Results: There were no differences in the ODI and MOS SF-36 scores between the two groups at discharge. However, the ODI and MOS SF-36 scores in the observation group showed significant improvement compared with the control group (p < 0.05) during the most recent follow-up. The incidence of complications, such as constipation, joint stiffness, muscle atrophy, foot drop, and pressure sores, were significantly lower in the observation group than in the control group (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The online home nursing care model can reduce complication incidence, alleviate dysfunction, and improve the quality of life of patients with TSCI.