Experiences with COVID-19 Pandemic in the Spinal Cord Injury Community

RESEARCH OBJECTIVES: Document the experiences of people with chronic spinal cord injury (SCI) during the COVID-19 pandemic. DESIGN: A cross-sectional survey. SETTING: An academic medical center. PARTICIPANTS: A convenience sample of 35 participants from a local SCI Model Systems Center who completed a survey online or by phone between September 2021 and March 2022. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: A scale “COVID-19: Impact of the pandemic and HRoL in cancer patients and survivors” obtained from NIH PhenX Toolkit was adapted for SCI population that measures personal COVID-19 exposures and experiences, including COVID-19 specific emotional and physical reactions, health care disruption and concerns, disruption to daily activities and social interactions, financial hardship, perceived benefits, functional social support, and perceived stress management. RESULTS: This sample had a mean age of 51.8 years, a mean duration of injury of 22.2 years, and 55.9 % had paraplegia with American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale A, B, or C. 17.1% of participants had COVID-19 infection. Forty percent of participants were fully vaccinated which is lower than that of general population in the state (53.5%). More than half of participants were concerned about family members or close friends getting or dying from COVID-19, had feelings of sadness or depression, and experienced disruptions in day to day social interactions with family and/or friends. The majority reported perceived benefits, had functional social supports, and had ability to manage stress. Participants reported varying COVID-19 related impacts, including employment (eg, 8.5% lost job), health care disruption (eg, 37.1% general care disruption), and financial hardship (eg, 34.3% financial difficulties). CONCLUSIONS: These results provide important markers for developing interventions for SCI population in future crises. AUTHOR(S) DISCLOSURES: No disclosure.