Patricia Antcliff, MOTR/L and Sherry Turner, OTR/L, Shepherd Center, Atlanta, GA
Earn .1 AOTA CEU (1.25 NBCOT PDU/1 contact hour)
Abstract
The presence of secondary complications from spinal cord injury (SCI) has been shown to lead to increased hospital length of stay, decline of expected functional outcomes, and increased burden of care (Fries, 2005). It has been shown that clients with SCI who complete rehabilitation in specialty clinics tend to have better outcomes during and after treatment (New, Simmonds, & Stevermuer, 2011). For occupational therapy practitioners with limited experience working with clients in this population, additional training and education may be necessary to reduce the risk of secondary complications that clients might otherwise experience. This article serves as a guideline for occupational therapy generalist practitioners to initiate preventative care and rehabilitation treatment of clients with acute SCI.
Learning Objectives
After reading this article, you should be able to:
1. List common secondary complications of SCI and methods to prevent them.
2. Identify functional expectations for mobility and activities of daily living of persons living with SCI.
3. Identify treatment ideas for persons with acute SCI, paraplegia, and tetraplegia.
Target audience: Occupational Therapists and Occupational Therapy Assistants
Content: Category 1: Domain of OT and Category 2: OT Process: Evaluation, Intervention
Reference Information:
Antcliff, P., Turner, S., (2014). Minimizing Secondary Complications for Clients With SCI: A Guide for General Occupational Therapy Practitioners. OT Practice, 19(4). CE-1–CE-8
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