title: How much equipment is prescribed for people with spinal cord injury in Australia, do they use it and are they satisfied 1 year later?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to determine the amount and type of equipment prescribed to aid mobility and self-care for patients with spinal cord injuries (SCI) in Australia and to determine how frequently the equipment is used 1 year later and whether patients are satisfied with it.
  
  
  METHODS
  A consecutive series of 61 patients admitted for rehabilitation to two Sydney SCI units were recruited. All mobility and self-care equipment worth more than $AU50 prescribed by therapists before patients' discharge was recorded. This included wheelchairs, commodes, shower chairs, hoists, electric beds, pressure-relieving cushions, bed mattresses, slideboards, walking aids, orthoses, electrical stimulation systems and other pieces of notable exercise equipment. Patients were interviewed 1 year later and asked about each piece of equipment they had been prescribed. Specifically, they were asked about how frequently they had used each piece of equipment and whether they were satisfied with it. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Three hundred and fourteen pieces of equipment, including 68 wheelchairs, were prescribed for the 61 patients. Most of the equipment (226/314) was used more than 20 times in the 2 months preceding the 1-year review. Most patients were satisfied or highly satisfied with the majority of equipment prescribed, although patients were very dissatisfied or only partly dissatisfied with 18/314 pieces of equipment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients were generally satisfied with the equipment they were prescribed. There was a small amount of equipment prescribed that was not used 1 year later or with which patients were dissatisfied.
authors.affiliation: Rehabilitation Studies Unit, Sydney Medical School Northern, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. lisa.harvey@sydney.edu.au
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Harvey
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chu
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Bowden
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Quirk
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Diong
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Batty
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Barratt
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004389:Durable Medical Equipment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D055656:Prescriptions; D012648:Self Care / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D013997:Time Factors; D014910:Wheelchairs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data