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.

PURPOSE: To identify risk factors for developing pressure ulcers (PUs) in the acute care period of traumatic spinal fracture patients with or without spinal cord injuries (SCIs). METHODS: Data were collected prospectively in participating the National Spinal column/Cord Injury Registry of Iran (NSCIR-IR) from individuals with traumatic spinal fractures with or without SCIs, inclusive of the hospital stay from admission to discharge. Trained nursing staff examined the patients for the presence of PUs every 8 h during their hospital stay. The presence and grade of PUs were assessed according to the European Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel classification. In addition to PU, following data were also extracted from the NSCIR-IR datasets during the period of 2015 - 2021: age, sex, Glasgow coma scale score at admission, having SCIs, marital status, surgery for a spinal fracture, American Spinal Injury Association impairment scale (AIS), urinary incontinence, level of education, admitted center, length of stay in the intensive care unit (ICU), hypertension, respiratory diseases, consumption of cigarettes, diabetes mellitus and length of stay in the hospital. Logistic regression models were used to estimate the unadjusted and adjusted odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). RESULTS: Altogether 2785 participants with traumatic spinal fractures were included. Among them, 87 (3.1%) developed PU during their hospital stay and 392 (14.1%) had SCIs. In the SCI population, 63 (16.1%) developed PU during hospital stay. Univariate logistic regression for the whole sample showed that marital status, having SCIs, urinary incontinence, level of education, treating center, number of days in the ICU, age, and Glasgow coma scale score were significant predictors for PUs. However, further analysis by multiple logistic regression only revealed the significant risk factors to be the treating center, marital status, having SCIs, and the number of days in the ICU. For the subgroup of individuals with SCIs, marital status, AIS, urinary incontinence, level of education, the treating center, the number of days in the ICU and the number of days in the hospital were significant predictors for PUs by univariate analysis. After adjustment in the multivariate model, the treating center, marital status (singles vs. marrieds, OR = 3.06, 95% CI: 1.55 - 6.03, p = 0.001), and number of days in the ICU (OR = 1.06, 95% CI: 1.04 - 1.09, p < 0.001) maintained significance. CONCLUSIONS These data confirm that individuals with traumatic spinal fractures and SCIs, especially single young patients who suffer from urinary incontinence, grades A-D by AIS, prolonged ICU stay, and more extended hospitalization are at increased risk for PUs; as a result strategies to minimize PU development need further refinement.
Humans ; Spinal Fractures/etiology* ; Pressure Ulcer/complications* ; Iran/epidemiology* ; Spinal Cord Injuries/epidemiology* ; Risk Factors ; Spine ; Registries ; Urinary Incontinence/complications* ; Suppuration/complications*