Need for a comprehensive epidemiologic study of spinal cord injury in Poland: findings from a systematic review

Systematic literature review

To review and assess the quality of available epidemiologic data of spinal cord injury (SCI) in Poland in the context of general International Classification of Functioning (ICF) domains and to answer the question whether there is a need for a comprehensive epidemiologic study of SCI in Poland.

Databases Medline, Embase and Polish Medical Bibliography were searched using keywords 'spinal cord injury', 'paraplegia', 'tetraplegia' and 'Poland'.

studies on humans, original papers, publication in 1979 or later. Case reports and studies with unclear inclusion criteria or performed on a population other than Polish were excluded. Full texts were reviewed for data on incidence, prevalence, etiology, mortality, natural history and outcome of comprehensive treatment. Quality of studies was assessed according to the modified Downs and Black criteria. The ICF model was applied to group the studies according to the ICF components.

Out of 536 identified papers, 224 articles were extracted and reviewed. Mean quality score was 11.04 points based on a 28-grade scale. Body functions and structures were assessed in 81.6%, activities in 22.4%, participation in 14.8%, environmental factors in 15.2% and personal factors in 47% of the studies reviewed.

Current epidemiologic data on SCI in Poland are insufficient and biased toward biomedical aspects. There is a need to develop a long-term research strategy for SCI in Poland in the form of a comprehensive cohort study.