Difficulty Obtaining Daily Necessities and Difficulty Obtaining SCI Services During the COVID-19 Pandemic Among People With Spinal Cord Injury.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To describe the self-reported difficulties during the COVID-19 pandemic on the lives of persons with traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI), and to identify the factors measured prior the pandemic that predict the number of difficulties obtaining daily necessities and difficulties obtaining SCI services during the pandemic. DESIGN: Cohort study. SETTING: A state SCI outcomes follow-up database in the southeastern United States. PARTICIPANTS: 297 participants (N=297) met the following eligibility criteria (1) ≥18 years of age, (2) traumatic SCI, (3) minimum of 1-year post-injury, and (4) having completed a longitudinal study questionnaire immediately prior to the pandemic (between 12/1/2019 and 03/11/2020). INTERVENTIONS: N/A. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S) The outcome measures were the self-reported number of difficulties obtaining daily necessities (difficulties to get food, medication, and routine medical/dental care) and difficulties obtaining SCI services during the pandemic (difficulties to get treatment for SCI-related problems, to maintain regular SCI equipment, and to get SCI supplies). RESULTS: Among 297 eligible participants, 247 (83%) have completed the follow-up during the pandemic between December 2020 and December 2021. There were 22% participants having at least 1 difficulty obtaining daily necessities and 19% participants having at least 1 difficulty obtaining SCI services. Younger, ambulatory participants, cervical 1-4 injury level, lower household income, more health conditions, and no routine health care access prior to the pandemic were associated with greater number of difficulties obtaining daily necessities. Women, non-ambulatory participants, marital relation, having need for physical assistance, more health conditions, and no routine health care access prior to the pandemic related to greater number of difficulties obtaining SCI services. CONCLUSIONS: People with SCI have experienced living difficulties during the COVID-19 pandemic. Of particular importance, no routine health care access and more health conditions are related to more difficulties obtaining both daily necessities and SCI services after controlling the socio-demographics and injury characteristics.