Monitoring of rehabilitative nursing practices in relation to functional ability for patients with spinal cord injury

Background Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a serious medical problem that influences the patients’ lives as well as those of their families. Patients with SCI need to perform daily tasks and optimize their physical and cognitive functioning. This can be achieved through rehabilitation. Rehabilitative nurses should be knowledgeable and have experience to care for patients with SCI and prevent possible complications. Aim To monitor rehabilitative nursing practices in relation to functional ability for patients with SCI. Setting This study was performed at a Medical Rehabilitation Hospital in Madina City in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Design A cross-sectional descriptive and correlational design was used for this study. Sample A purposive sample of 46 nurses caring for patients with SCIs and a purposive sample of 36 patients who have SCIs based on the inclusion criteria were included in the study. Tools Two tools were used in this study: (a) observational checklist for assessment of rehabilitative nursing practices for patient with SCI and (b) functional independence measure (FIM) instrument. Results Nearly three-quarters (71.7%) of nurses had inadequate practices regarding total rehabilitative nursing practices for patients with SCI, whereas approximately a quarter (28.3%) of nurses had adequate practice. The mean score of total FIM was 85.58±20.92. Conclusion The present study concluded that nearly three-quarters of nurses had inadequate practices regarding total rehabilitative nursing practices for patients with SCI. Concerning total motor FIM, it was found that more than half of the patients needed a helper with modified dependence. Additionally, the highest majority of patients did not need a helper regarding cognitive function. There was a positive correlation between types of injury with motor functional independence. Finally, there were no significant correlations between total rehabilitative nurses’ practices for patients with SCI and motor, cognitive, and total FIM of the patients. Recommendations The study recommended replicating the study at different settings with a large sample size in Saudi Arabia with the aim of generalizing the results.