International Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
Open Access

Abstract

Barriers for Individuals with Spinal Cord Injury during Community Reintegration: A Qualitative Study

Farzana Akter, Md. Shofiqul Islam, Md. Obaidul Haque, Md. Anwar Hossain, KM Amran Hossain, Mahmudul Hasan Imran, Md. Shahoriar Ahmed and Sharmin Alam

Background: After completing the rehabilitation services, person with spinal cord injury (SCI) return the community with learned knowledge and skills of integration the livelihood situation. Centre for the rehabilitation of the paralyzed (CRP) provides three months in-patient rehabilitation services and though to be successful in leading an integrated and enabling life. As a developing nation, person with SCI in Bangladesh again enter to the community and might confronts various types of barriers and inaccessibility in their society.

Objectives: This study was aimed to find out the barriers and inaccessibility during reintegration into the community among individuals with spinal cord injury in Bangladesh.

Methods: Participants, who had sustained an SCI with the ages between 26 to 45 years, responded to semi-structured written questions which were categorized as one Health-related; barriers for patients with SCI inaccessibility of community reintegration; two, Mobility aids and equipment issues as barrier of inaccessibility in the community; three, Environmental issues as a barrier of inaccessibility in community reintegration; four, Barriers to transportation in community reintegration; five, Societal barriers of inaccessibility in community reintegration; six, Employment and economic barriers inaccessibility of community reintegration. A total eleven individuals were interviewed conveniently and analysed by Qualitative Content Analysis (QCA).

Result: Content was analysed by several thematic factors that based on the utmost physical, social, economic and environmental barriers. The mean age the respondents were 35.45 (± 7.39) years. The most prominent categories of barrier were transportation barrier (infrastructure 100%), environmental barrier (slops and stairs 90%) and socio-economical barrier (lack of acceptance & poverty both 81.8%).

Conclusions: This study comprehends the multispectral experience of barriers & inaccessibility during community reintegration of the person with SCI. They had residual disability and confronted diversity of barriers. In addition, ascertainment of these barriers will help to give emphasize on overcoming strategy of those challenges.