Social and professional evaluation of para and tetraplegics

The most important problems of chronically ill individuals after spinal cord trauma have been assessed from data obtained from case histories, social interviews and questionnaires obtained from 191 patients. The average time from trauma to observation was 9.3 years. Complete self-care was achieved by 56 per cent, a degree of ambulation by 52 per cent and 35 per cent had a useful vocational activity. The authors advise the positive evaluation of results of treatment after trauma, and call attention to the necessity of giving greater emphasis on training in activities of daily living even at the expense of decreasing training in ambulation, since only a small group of patients use ambulation as a form of locomotion. The difficulties in obtaining employment by disabled persons even after changing their vocation is stressed.