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Familiarity and Use of Rehabilitation Technologies by Persons With Spinal Cord Injury: An Exploratory Quantitative
Benjamin Dirlikov1, Ashraf Gorgey2,3, Nicholas H Evans4
1Rehabilitation Research Center, Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, San Jose, California.
Objectives:
New technologies to support individuals living with spinal cord injury (SCI) are constantly evolving. This study explores current familiarity with and use of emerging rehabilitation technologies among individuals living with SCI.
Methods:
A self-report community survey for individuals living with SCI was developed by the Emerging Technology Special Interest Group within the Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems. This de-identified survey collected demographics, injury characteristics, and information on the familiarity and use of emerging rehabilitation technologies. Exploratory descriptive statistics and regression models were used to identify characteristics associated with technology familiarity and use.
Results:
Two hundred and forty-three participants completed the survey. Most participants were male, Caucasian, non-Hispanic, used government insurance, and experienced an incomplete SCI. Sixty-nine percent of respondents were familiar with the technologies listed in the survey. Of the technologies listed, functional electrical stimulation was used most frequently. Binary logistic regression analyses revealed that individuals with a longer time since injury were less likely to be familiar with [Exp(B): .957, P < .001] or use at least one of the emerging technologies [Exp(B): .931, P < .001].
Conclusion:
Sixty-nine percent (69%) of the respondents were familiar with the listed technologies. Of those, 77% had tried at least one technology, indicating significant interest within the SCI community. However, a greater time from injury was associated with decreased familiarity with these new technologies. Further understanding of the barriers affecting familiarity and adoption is critical to developing strategies that promote using emerging clinical interventions for individuals with SCI across the continuum of care.
