Medical, dental, and optical care utilization among community-living people with spinal cord injury in the United States

Abstract

Context/Objective Information about patterns of healthcare utilization for people living with spinal cord injury (SCI) is currently limited, and this is needed to understand independent community living after SCI. This study investigates self-reported healthcare utilization among community-living people with SCI and assesses disparities across demographic, socioeconomic, and injury-related subgroups. Design Secondary analysis of cross-sectional survey data administered via telephone interview. Setting 6 SCI Model Systems centers in the United States (California, Colorado, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania). Participants Adults with chronic, traumatic SCI who were community-living for at least one year after the completion of an inpatient rehabilitation program (N = 617). Interventions Not applicable. Outcome Measures Utilization of a usual source of 4 types of health care in the past 12 months: primary, SCI, dental, and optical. Results 84% of participants reported utilizing primary care in the past year. More than half reported utilizing SCI (54%) and dental (57%) care, and 36% reported utilizing optical care. There were no significant differences across key subgroups in the utilization of primary care. Participants who had been injured for 5 years or less and participants with greater educational attainment were more likely to report utilizing SCI care. Participants with higher household income levels were more likely to report using dental care. Female participants and older age groups were more likely to report using optical care. Conclusion Rates of healthcare utilization among people with SCI are below recommended rates and vary across demographic, socioeconomic, and injury-related subgroups. This information can inform future research to target barriers to using healthcare services among community-living people with SCI.