“Be ready to learn”: a qualitative study of the patient perspective of falls and fall prevention following discharge from a spinal injuries unit

Figures & data

Table 1. Participant demographics.

Participant number	Age (years)	Sex	Level of SCI	AIS	Time of interview since discharge (months)	Living alone	Fall description	Experienced a physical consequence
1	78	Female	T10	D	12	No	Yes – single fall since discharge in the home	Yes
2	49	Male	C2	D	12	Yes	Yes (4) – multiple falls since discharge in the home	No
3	61	Female	T10	D	12	No	Yes – single fall since discharge in the home	No
4	74	Male	C2	D	12	No	Yes – single fall since discharge in the community	Yes
5	60	Female	T7	D	12	No	Yes (6) – multiple falls since discharge in the home	Yes
6	59	Male	T4	A	6	No	Yes (2) – multiple falls while an inpatient on the ward	No
7	47	Male	T8	B	12	No	Yes – single fall while an inpatient in the community	Yes
8	73	Male	T3	A	12	No	No	No
9	25	Male	C6	A	6	Yes	No	No
10	44	Female	T12	C	12	No	Yes – single fall while an inpatient in the community	Yes
11	74	Male	C2	C	7	No	No	No
12	43	Male	T9	D	7	No	Yes – single fall since discharge in the home	No
13	60	Male	L4	A	10	Yes	Yes – single fall while an inpatient on the ward	Yes
14	55	Male	C1	D	10	Yes	No	No
15	59	Male	T6	A	9	Yes	Yes – single fall since discharge in the home	Yes

Table 2. Six phases of thematic analysis [18].

Phase	Actions completed
Familiarising yourself with the dataset	Review of field note summaries. With funding available transcription of the interviews completed by an external company. Transcription checked with audio by KM. Data were read multiple times by KM and notes were taken of initial thoughts.
Coding	Two transcripts independently coded by two members of the research team (KM and FP) with data organised in NVivo software. FP and KM met to discuss initial coding, with codes added and edited based on mutual agreeance. From this discussion an initial code list developed. JF confirmed the code list using a coded interview. KM completed the coding of all interviews with additional codes added. JF, KM and FP reviewed final comprehensive code list with agreeance on final list.
Generating initial themes	Codes sorted into potential themes by KM and data reorganised under each of these themes. Thematic map developed by KM to visually represent the relationships between codes and themes.
Developing and reviewing themes	Each theme and codes within that theme were reviewed. Review of the entire data set and refinement of the themes completed.
Refining, defining, and naming themes	A detailed analysis of the identified themes was conducted which included ensuring each theme had a single idea and that themes were not repetitive. A brief synopsis of each theme completed. How the themes fit in the story in relation to the original research question were considered.
Writing up	A detailed account of the data with the use of extracts from the data to support the themes was presented in relation to the research question. Quotes were taken from the transcribed interviews and included in the article. Consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research (COREQ), [20] guideline was used to ensure that a comprehensive report was produced.

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, [KM], upon reasonable request.