Patient demographics and processes of physiotherapy care in a specialized outpatient spinal cord rehabilitation program

Affiliated institutions include: Toronto Rehabilitation Institute (H. Morris, M. Verrier, J. Williams), University of Toronto (M. Verrier, J. Williams)Purpose: The purpose of this paper was to characterize the outpatient spinal cord injury (SCI) population seeking physiotherapy care, and the program currently in place for that care at a Toronto-based specialized SCI rehabilitation centre, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute Lyndhurst Centre (Lyndhurst Centre). Methods: This retrospective longitudinal study reviewed health records of patients who accessed outpatient physiotherapy services from the Spinal Cord Rehabilitation Program at Lyndhurst Centre over an 11-month period. Data were abstracted to describe patient demographics for those with traumatic (TSCI) and non -traumatic (NTSCI) SCI, as well as program characteristics. Results: The majority of patients were English-speaking males over the age of 65 from the Metropolitan Toronto area who had sustained NTSCIs, tended to have social support and relied on government funding for health services. Patients with NTSCIs had more variable and statistically significant longer wait times for admission into outpatient physiotherapy than those who those with TSCI. The number of physiotherapy treatment sessions was significantly greater for patients with TSCIs. Conclusion: The results of this study can be used to understand the characteristics of patients requiring outpatient physiotherapy services, and guide future decisions regarding program development at Lyndhurst Centre and other large urban specialized spinal cord injury (SCI) centres in Ontario