Living With Cervical Spinal Cord Injury During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study

OBJECTIVE: To understand how COVID-19 has affected the daily lives of people living with cervical spinal cord injury (SCI). DESIGN: Cross sectional qualitative study. SETTING: Academic medical center in the Midwestern United States. PARTICIPANTS: Ten community-dwelling individuals (8 men, 2 women), average 11.6 years post-mid-cervical level SCI (N=10). INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Semistructured interviews were completed by phone. The research team used thematic analysis and inductive strategies to analyze the data in this exploratory investigation. RESULTS: People with cervical SCI living in the United States during the spring of 2020 experienced changes to their daily lives. Participants described how interactions with caregivers for activities of daily living were complicated by fear about contracting and/or transmitting COVID-19. The pandemic limited this population's access to medical care and adversely affected their mental and physical health. Telemedicine was seen as a helpful alternative to in-person visits. Some participants felt that their previous life-altering experience (SCI) better prepared them to cope with the pandemic and “roll with things.” CONCLUSIONS: Learning about how people with SCI cope, persevere, and survive to overcome adversity during the pandemic should inform future research to support those with SCI. Improving telemedicine and rewarding and recognizing caregivers for their role in maintaining health are important first steps. We must continue to be creative about improving our health care systems and access for people with disabilities, particularly during this and future public health crises.