The need for a multidisciplinary outreach service for people with spinal cord injury living in the community

Objective: To identify the nature and extent of perceived unmet needs of people with spinal cord injury (SCI) living in the community and to determine their preferences regarding multidisciplinary outreach service delivery. Design: Structured telephone interviews. Setting: Spinal Injuries Unit, Queensland, Australia. Subjects: Sixty people with SCI living in the community were approached for interview and 54 agreed to participate. Results: The results reflected a high need for a specialist, multidisciplinary SCI outreach service following primary rehabilitation. There were a diversity of issues faced by people with SCI. A high or very high need was reported by 31% of participants in relation to physical changes, by 24% regarding transport, by 22% for work issues and by 19% with respect to ongoing education needs. The greatest perceived barrier to needs being met was limited local specialist knowledge about SCI (81% of participants). A service model which includes access to telephone advice was endorsed by 79% of participants, and 43% supported home visiting that is available to rural and remote areas. Spinal Injuries Unit outpatient clinic appointments were also a preference for service delivery (40% of participants). Conclusions: Trial and evaluation of the telephone as a primary medium for service delivery, and education of local service providers is recommended.