2011 Symposium Program - College of Health - University of Utah

Meeting the Re-Integration Needs of Individuals with Spinal Cord Injury: The
Effectiveness of Community-Based Occupational Therapy
Researchers: Price, P.; Fry, J.; May, L.
Committee: Price, P.; McNulty, M.; Bernhard, N.
Objective
The purpose of this study is to investigate: 1) The efficacy of a community based
rehabilitation (CBR) program designed for spinal cord injury (SCI).; 2) Reveal aspects
of the CBR program that made the most significant difference in the participant’s
lives.; 3) Provide future studies with a design template for more effective research in
regards to this topic.
Method
A pre/post mixed method design was utilized for the research study. Data was
collected through semi structured open ended question interviews, COPM, GAS,
SFWS, CHART, and SF-36 scores. Researchers performed open coding on interview
data to explore participants’ experiences of the therapy process. Codes were
collapsed into categories and subthemes. Descriptive statistics were utilized to
analyze the findings from the quantitative instruments. From the analysis we were
able to compare change in scores between pre and post intervention.
Results
Five main themes were identified as significant in understanding which aspects of
therapy were helpful to achieve clients’ goals. These include: 1) “A good life is a
sense of internal happiness, being able to be who you are, and having a strong
internal compass”, 2) “Same old me”, 3) “Therapy forced me to really rethink how I do
things”, 4) “Things will only get better”, and 5) “I think that [there] are some things that
are a must”. Descriptive analysis demonstrated a clinically significant difference
between pre and post test data for the COPM and CHART assessments. The GAS
and SFWS showed minor increases in scores but could not be found significant.
Conclusion
Our findings in this occupational therapy program are able to make a clinically
significant change in the participant’s participation in life and goal achievement. Our
research provides evidence that the COPM, GAS, and CHART are accurate and
sensitive measures for working in a community setting with a SCI population. A
mixed method approach was optimal for gaining insights into aspects of program, and
how the therapy process affected their goal attainment, satisfaction, and
independence. From this study we know more about the critical components of a CBR
intervention for individuals with SCI to become more successful in their daily life.
Limitation of this study is the small number of participants requiring further replication
of this study.
Keywords
Occupational Therapy, Community Reintegration, COPM, GAS, CHART, Client
Satisfaction & Participation
34