The effect of a specialist seating assessment clinic on the skin management of individuals with spinal cord injury.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the specialist seating clinic's effectiveness in improving skin management knowledge and independence, represented by the Needs Assessment Checklist (NAC).


METHODS
Longitudinal, between subjects design, with two intervention groups and one control.


METHODS
Tertiary care, spinal cord injury centre (National Spinal Injuries Centre), Stoke Mandeville Hospital, United Kingdom.


METHODS
This study assessed the skin management ability of three groups. Group 1 consisted of individuals who had attended a specialist seating assessment (SSA) clinic before their first needs assessment, group 2 had attended SSA between their first and second needs assessment, and group 3 (control) had not attended at all. Patient skin management ability was assessed using the skin management subscale of the NAC, a measure of rehabilitation outcome, at two time points.


RESULTS
Significant differences were identified between group 3 and group 1 at both the first (t = 2.36, degrees of freedom (df) = 37, p < 0.05) and second (t = 2.84, df = 37, p < 0.01) needs assessment. Significant improvements were also observed within each group between the first and second needs assessment time points in all seating assessment categories.


CONCLUSIONS
Skin management achievement scores were significantly higher for patients who had attended a SSA clinic before their first NAC (group 1) at both time points, supporting the use of SSA as a proactive intervention to improve patient independence, knowledge and awareness, and potentially reduce pressure ulcer incidence.
Kennedy
Paul
P
National Spinal Injuries Centre, University of Oxford. paul.kennedy@smh.nhs.uk
Berry
Christopher
C
Coggrave
Maureen
M
Rose
Lone
L
Hamilton
Lucy
L
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004521:Educational Measurement; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020380:Needs Assessment / Q000592:standards*; D009720:Nurse Clinicians / Q000592:standards*; D009730:Nursing Assessment / Q000592:standards*; D015403:Nursing Evaluation Research; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000592:standards*; D011187:Posture; D003668:Pressure Ulcer / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012648:Self Care / Q000592:standards; D017592:Skin Care / Q000379:methods*; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000150:complications* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D014910:Wheelchairs