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.