Medical and social problems of our spinal cord injured patients after being discharged from the hospital.
We did a survey conducted by questionnaire in order to defect the medicosocial problems faced by our spinal cord injured patients after being discharged home. 25 patients with spinal cord injuries who had received rehabilitation as in patients over the period 1993-1995 were asked to come for a follow up. 12 (48%) of the patients came to the hospital and 7 (28%) of them answered the questionnaire on the phone. 3 patients were from Çeçenistan. 3 patients 812%) were dead.
The questionnaire included occupation before and after the injury, sources of social help, architectural barrieres in and about the house, level of spinal cord injury and Frankel level were noted. The complications were investigated.
In conclusion the mean age was 32,4. 10 (40%) of the patients had cervical, 11 (44%) had thoracal, 4 (16%) had lumbar lesions. Onlay 1 (5%) of the 14 (63,6) patients who were employed before the injury could go back to work, 10 (52%) patients became unemployed. 63,4 % of patients were not receiveng any source of social help. 52 % of patients looked after by their spouses. Toilets and lifts are the most common architecturel barrieres the patients mentioned. Staphylococcus aureus (21 %) and enterobacter (21 %) were the most common causes of urinary tract infections detected during their stay at the hospital. The most common complications were pressure ulcers (36 %) spasticity 827 %) and psychological problems (27 %).