Priorities of Spinal Cord Injured Population – A Survey

Abstract

In the united states alone, there are more than 200,000 individuals living with a chronic spinal cord injury (SCI). Healthcare for these individuals creates a significant economic burden for the country, not to mention the physical, psychological, and social suffering these people endure every day. Regaining partial function can lead to greater independence, thereby improving quality of life. To ascertain what functions are most important to the SCI population, in regard to enhancing quality of life, a novel survey was performed in which subjects were asked to rank seven functions in order of their importance to their quality of life. The aim of present study was to evaluate the priorities of spinal cord injured population depending on their level of lesion and improvement of which function will make improvement in quality of their life. A total number of 71 subjects were taken. The questionnaire was made to be filled by all the participants through personal interview, Emails and telephonic interviews. There was a significant variation in priorities of spinal cord injured population.