One-year follow-up of Chinese people with spinal cord injury: a preliminary study.

BACKGROUND: A tertiary spinal cord injury (SCI) center was established in the northern region of Hong Kong, China and a multidisciplinary SCI rehabilitation program was developed to reintegrate patients into the community. OBJECTIVE: To investigate functional outcomes for Chinese people with SCI across a 1-year period. DESIGN: Longitudinal prospective design. METHODS: Thirty community-dwelling participants with traumatic SCI were recruited. Functional status was measured using functional independence measure (FIM) on admission, upon discharge, 1-month, 3-month, 6-month, and 1-year post-discharge. Information on use of assistive devices and life role were also obtained. RESULTS: Twenty-three (76.67%) participants were men. Seventeen participants (10 with tetraplegia and 7 with paraplegia) were classified ASIA A, B, or C; 13 (7 with tetraplegia and 6 with paraplegia) were classified as ASIA D. Significant differences in FIM motor scores were only found between the tetraplegia group and three other diagnostic groups using Bonferroni post-hoc tests of repeated measure ANOVA (analysis of variance) (P < 0.05). Longitudinally, contrast tests of repeated measure ANOVA showed significant differences during the hospitalization period for all diagnostic groups. People in the ASIA D group showed significant functional improvement even after 1-year post-discharge (P < 0.05). At 1-year post-discharge, only two participants were engaged in either remunerative employment or academic pursuit. CONCLUSION: Despite functional status improvement, few people with traumatic SCI were re-engaged in productive life role 1 year after discharge. Studies with longer follow-up would be beneficial.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and engagement in occupation.

The goal of this study was to gain an understanding of participants' experiences with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and their perceptions of an occupational therapy intervention as it related to occupational behaviors. The researcher conducted semistructured interviews with three participants recruited from a pulmonary rehabilitation program in Hong Kong. Using thematic analysis, five themes related to the disease experience were identified: (1) uncertainty during the course of the disease, (2) external attribution, (3) activity restriction and isolation, (4) anxiety and depression, and (5) passive fortitude. Regarding the participants' perceptions of the effects of the occupational therapy intervention on occupation engagement, four themes were identified: (1) increased knowledge of COPD, (2) taking control of the disease and reengagement in activities, (3) alleviation of mental burden, and (4) social support from peers and therapists. The study suggests a temporal framework for better understanding participants' experiences of COPD as well as for developing more appropriate occupational therapy interventions.