Post-discharge follow-up of patients with spine trauma in the National Spinal Cord Injury Registry of Iran during the COVID-19 pandemic: Challenges and lessons learned
10.1016/j.cjtee.2023.10.005
- VernacularTitle:Post-discharge follow-up of patients with spine trauma in the National Spinal Cord Injury Registry of Iran during the COVID-19 pandemic: Challenges and lessons learned
- Author:
Zahra AZADMANJIR
1
;
Moein KHORMALI
;
Mohsen SADEGHI-NAINI
;
Vali BAIGI
;
Habibollah PIRNEJAD
;
Mohammad DASHTKOOHI
;
Zahra GHODSI
;
Behnam Seyed JAZAYERI
;
Aidin SHAKERI
;
Mahdi MOHAMMADZADEH
;
Laleh BAGHERI
;
Mohammad-Sajjad LOTFI
;
Salman DALIRI
;
Amir AZARHOMAYOUN
;
Homayoun SADEGHI-BAZARGANI
;
Gerard O'REILLY
;
Vafa RAHIMI-MOVAGHAR
Author Information
1. Health Information Management Department, School of Allied Medical Sciences, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
- Keywords:
Follow-up studies;
Spinal injuries;
Spinal cord injuries;
COVID-19;
NSCIR-IR
- From:
Chinese Journal of Traumatology
2024;27(3):173-179
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Purpose::The purpose of the National Spinal Cord Injury Registry of Iran (NSCIR-IR) is to create an infrastructure to assess the quality of care for spine trauma and in this study, we aim to investigate whether the NSCIR-IR successfully provides necessary post-discharge follow-up data for these patients.Methods::An observational prospective study was conducted from April 11, 2021 to April 22, 2022 in 8 centers enrolled in NSCIR-IR, respectively Arak, Rasht, Urmia, Shahroud, Yazd, Kashan, Tabriz, and Tehran. Patients were classified into 3 groups based on their need for care resources, respectively: (1) non-spinal cord injury (SCI) patients without surgery (group 1), (2) non-SCI patients with surgery (group 2), and (3) SCI patients (group 3). The assessment tool was a self-designed questionnaire to evaluate the care quality in 3 phases: pre-hospital, in-hospital, and post-hospital. The data from the first 2 phases were collected through the registry. The post-hospital data were collected by conducting follow-up assessments. Telephone follow-ups were conducted for groups 1 and 2 (non-SCI patients), while group 3 (SCI patients) had a face-to-face visit. This study took place during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data on age and time interval from injury to follow-up were expressed as mean ± standard deviation (SD) and response rate and follow-up loss as a percentage.Results::Altogether 1538 telephone follow-up records related to 1292 patients were registered in the NSCIR-IR. Of the total calls, 918 (71.05%) were related to successful follow-ups, but 38 cases died and thus were excluded from data analysis. In the end, post-hospital data from 880 patients alive were gathered. The success rate of follow-ups by telephone for groups 1 and 2 was 73.38% and 67.05% respectively, compared to 66.67% by face-to-face visits for group 3, which was very hard during the COVID-19 pandemic. The data completion rate after discharge ranged from 48% - 100%, 22% - 100% and 29% - 100% for groups 1 - 3.Conclusions::To improve patient accessibility, NSCIR-IR should take measures during data gathering to increase the accuracy of registered contact information. Regarding the loss to follow-ups of SCI patients, NSCIR-IR should find strategies for remote assessment or motivate them to participate in follow-ups through, for example, providing transportation facilities or financial support.
