COVID-19 and spinal cord injury and disease: results of an international survey as the pandemic progresses

Study design An online survey. Objectives To follow-up with and re-query the international spinal cord community’s response to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic by revisiting questions posed in a previous survey and investigating new lines of inquiry. Setting An international collaboration of authors and participants. Methods Two identical surveys (one in English and one in Spanish) were distributed via the internet. Responses from both surveys were pooled and analyzed for demographic and response data. Results Three hundred and sixty-six respondents were gathered from multiple continents and regions. The majority (63.1%) were rehabilitation physicians and only 12.1% had patients with spinal cord injury/disease (SCI/D) that they knew had COVID-19. Participants reported that the COVID-19 pandemic had caused limited access to clinician and support services and worsening medical complications. Nearly 40% of inpatient clinicians reported that “some or all” of their facilities’ beds were being used by medical and surgical patients, rather than by individuals requiring inpatient rehabilitation. Respondents reported a 25.1% increase in use of telemedicine during the pandemic (35% used it before; 60.1% during), though over 60% felt the technology incompletely met their patients’ needs. Conclusion The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted the ability of individuals with SCI/D to obtain their “usual level of care.“ Moving forward into a potential “second wave” of COVID-19, patient advocacy and efforts to secure access to thorough and accessible care are essential.