Perspectives From Family Caregivers of Persons With Spinal Cord Injury in Hospital Versus Rehabilitation: A Pilot Study.

PURPOSE: The study aims to assess differences in family preferences for involvement in the ongoing care of a hospitalized family member with spinal cord injury based on whether the patient was hospitalized for initial rehabilitation (Group R) or hospitalized to treat secondary complications (Group C).

DESIGN

Explorative cross-sectional design.

METHOD: Family members rated the importance and experience of involvement on five subscales of the Patient Participation in Rehabilitation Questionnaire. Differences among the importance and experience scores between the groups were tested using the Mann-Whitney U test.

FINDINGS: Group C scored the importance to be involved significantly higher than Group R (M = 3.17 vs. M = 4.04, p =.01). No other significant differences between groups were detected.

CONCLUSION

Family members of patients hospitalized for secondary complications want greater involvement in care compared to those hospitalized for rehabilitation.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Results indicate the need for tailored interventions using a family-centered approach and ongoing needs assessment.