Community reintegration in rehabilitated South Indian persons with spinal cord injury

Abstract

Objectives: To explore community reintegration in rehabilitated South Indian persons with spinal cord injury (SCI) and to compare the level of community reintegration based on demographic variables.

Design: Survey.

Setting: Rehabilitation center of a tertiary care university teaching hospital.

Participants: Community-dwelling persons with SCI (N=104).

Interventions: Not applicable.

Main outcome measures: Craig Handicap Assessment and Reporting Technique (CHART).

Results: The mean scores for each CHART domain were physical independence 98+/-5, social Integration 96+/-11, cognitive independence 92+/-17, occupation 70+/-34, mobility 65+/-18, and economic self sufficiency 53+/-40. Demographic variables showed no statistically significant difference with any of the CHART domains except for age and mobility, level of education, and social integration.

Conclusions: Persons with SCI in rural South India who have completed comprehensive, mostly self-financed, rehabilitation with an emphasis on achieving functional ambulation, family support, and self-employment and who attend a regular annual follow-up show a high level of community reintegration in physical independence, social integration, and cognitive independence. CHART scores in the domains of occupation, mobility, and economic self-sufficiency showed lower levels of community reintegration.