The effect of rurality and distance from care on health outcomes, environmental barriers and healthcare utilization patterns in persons with traumatic spinal cord injury
| Résumé | OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the impact of residential living location on health outcomes, environmental barriers, quality of life, and healthcare utilization patterns after traumatic spinal cord injury (tSCI). SETTING: Community setting, Atlantic Canada METHODS: An ambispective study of data collected on a subset of individuals enrolled in the Rick Hansen Spinal Cord Injury Registry (RHSCIR) from 2012 to 2018. Outcomes were analyzed using two measures of rurality: postal codes at community follow-up (rural versus urban) and residential travel distance to the nearest RHSCIR facility (>100km versus ≤100km). Outcomes studied included the Craig Hospital Inventory of Environmental Factors-Short Form (CHIEF-SF), Short Form-36 Version 2 (SF36v2), Life Satisfaction Questionnaire (LISAT-11), Spinal Cord Independence Measure (SCIM), secondary health complications and healthcare utilization patterns. Outcomes were assessed at 9 to 24 months postdischarge from initial hospitalization. RESULTS: 104 participants were studied, 21 rural and 83 urban based on postal codes at community follow-up. 59 participants lived more than 100 km away from the nearest RHSCIR facility, while 45 participants lived within 100 km. Individuals from urban area codes reported a greater magnitude of perceived barriers on the policies and work/school subscales of the CHIEF-SF. No differences in function, quality of life, and healthcare utilization patterns according to the measures of rurality were observed. Individuals living 100km from the nearest RHSCIR facility reported greater rates of sexual dysfunction. CONCLUSIONS Despite differences in environmental barriers, individuals from urban and rural locations can have similar health outcomes and quality of life after tSCI. |
| Auteurs | Sean Christie, Alexander Whelan, Sonja McVeigh, Paula Barker, Andrew Glennie, Di Wang, Melody Chen, Christiana Cheng, Suzanne Humphreys, Colleen O’Connell, Najmedden Attabib, Andre Engelbrecht |
| Titre de revue/journal, volume et numéro | Research Square |
| Langue de la publication et/ou de traduction | Anglais |
| Année de parution | |
| Pays | Canada |
| Institutions affiliées | Dalhousie University, Praxis Spinal Cord Institute |
| Lien vers la publication | https://www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-1694647/v1 |
| Type d’accès à la publication | Gratuit |
| Mots clés | |
| Autres informations |