Models of Telehealth Service Delivery in Adults With Spinal Cord Injuries: Scoping Review

Background: In Canada, approximately 86,000 people live with spinal cord injury (SCI), and there are an estimated 3675 new cases of traumatic or nontraumatic etiology per year. Most people with SCI will experience secondary health complications, such as urinary and bowel issues, pain syndrome, pressure ulcers, and psychological disorders, resulting in severe chronic multimorbidity. Moreover, people with SCI may face barriers in accessing health care services, such as primary care physicians' expert knowledge regarding secondary complications related to SCI. Telehealth, defined as the delivery of information and health-related services through telecommunication technologies, may help address some of the barriers, and indeed, the present global COVID-19 pandemic has emphasized the importance of integration of telehealth in health care systems. As a result of this crisis, health care providers have increased the usage of telehealth services, providing health services to individuals in need of community-based supportive care. However, the evidence on models of telehealth service delivery for adults with SCI has not been previously synthesized.

Objective: The purpose of this scoping review was to identify, describe, and compare models of telehealth services for community-dwelling adults with SCI.

Methods: This scoping review follows the PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews) guidelines. Studies published between 1990 and December 31, 2022, were identified by searching the Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid Embase, Ovid PsycINFO, Web of Science, and CINAHL databases. Papers with specified inclusion criteria were screened by 2 investigators. Included articles focused on identifying, implementing, or evaluating telehealth interventions, including primary health care services and self-management services delivered in the community and home-based settings. One investigator performed a full-text review of each article, and data extraction included (1) study characteristics; (2) participant characteristics; (3) key characteristics of the interventions, programs, and services; and (4) outcome measures and results.

Results: A total of 61 articles reported telehealth services used for preventing, managing, or treating the most common secondary complications and consequences of SCI, including chronic pain, low physical activity, pressure ulcers, and psychosocial dysfunction. Where evidence exists, improvements in community participation, physical activity, and reduction in chronic pain, pressure ulcers, etc, following SCI were demonstrated.

Conclusions: Telehealth may offer an efficient and effective option for health service delivery for community-dwelling individuals with SCI, ensuring continuity of rehabilitation, follow-up after hospital discharge, and early detection, management, or treatment of potential secondary complications following SCI. We recommend that the stakeholders involved with patients with SCI consider the uptake of hybridized (blend of web-based and in-person) health care delivery models to optimize the care continuum and self-management of SCI-related care. The findings of this scoping review may be used to inform policy makers, health care professionals, and stakeholders engaged in establishing web-based clinics for individuals with SCI.