https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7802-5505
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Abstract
Background
This study aimed to determine the factors that promote and facilitate rehabilitation as well as challenges and possible barriers perceived by people with spinal cord injury (SCI).
Materials and Methods
This study was part of a larger, mixed-method Finnish Spinal Cord Injury (FinSCI) study. We interviewed 45 persons with SCI representing participants from the FinSCI study and used a qualitative approach and a deductive-inductive content analysis to analyse the data.
Results
We identified 28 facilitators and 19 barriers in the rehabilitation process. The majority of the facilitators and barriers were related to the rehabilitation planning phase. There were more barriers than facilitators in applying for and accessing treatment or rehabilitation and during the implementation of rehabilitation. Facilitators consisted of successful, realized, or planned treatments or rehabilitation events; clear goals; multidisciplinary teamwork; support and monitoring in various changing situations; and the rehabilitees’ own capabilities and activities, among other things. The barriers included delays, challenges and deficiencies in the planning and implementation of treatment or rehabilitation; the lack of different skills; and resources of rehabilitation professionals; and different personal factors, which made the rehabilitation process cumbersome.
Conclusions
Good communication and interaction between stakeholders are crucial for the progress of rehabilitation.
Acknowledgments
We wish to thank the participants for sharing their experiences. We also thank Aki Vainionpää, Harri Hämäläinen and Mauri Kallinen, who could not participate in the analysis and reporting of the study as authors but have been promoting other parts of the FinSCI study as members of the FinSCI research group.
Authors’ contributions
The study was conceived by ST, KE and SH. ST planned the study. Participants were recruited by ST and KE, who also interviewed the participants. ST analyzed and coded the data. KE checked and edited the deductive part of the analysis. ST, KE, AT, A-MK, EK, HA, MR, JA and SH participated in the workshops and made significant contributions to the inductive part of the analysis. ST wrote the manuscript. KE and SH made significant contributions and provided interpretations, along with performing subsequent revisions of the manuscript for intellectual content. ST, KE, AT, A-MK, EK, HA, MR, JA and SH have reviewed and agreed on all versions of the manuscript before submission, and approved the final manuscript.
Ethics approval and consent to participate
All participants received information about the study. Written informed consent was obtained from all participants in the study. The study was approved by the HUS Coordinating Ethics Committee (HUS/1776/2017). The study complied with the Declaration of Helsinki.
Consent for publication
Not applicable.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Data availability statement
An anonymized version of the data can be made available from the research leader (SH) upon reasonable request.