Consensus Among Life Care Planners Regarding Activities to Consider When Recommending Personal Attendant Care Services for Individuals With Spinal Cord Injury: A Delphi Study

Personal attendant care (PAC) needs often represent the single most expensive part of a life care plan (LCP). As such, life care planners should exercise care in accurately depicting the types and amount of PAC in a life care plan. The purpose of this study was to acquire benchmark data that could provide validity checks for life care planners when recommending PAC. A Delphi study was conducted with 24 life care planners to reach consensus regarding the activities to consider when recommending PAC. Consensus was reached after three rounds, resulting in 164 items that should be considered when recommending PAC. These items represented self-care, home/yard maintenance, transportation, leisure, work, and educational activities. The results of this study provide life care planners with a detailed checklist of PAC activities to utilize while working on a life care plan for individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI). This checklist, in conjunction with client interviews, review of medical records, and consultation with rehabilitation professionals, should facilitate the development of accurate prediction of PAC needs for individuals with SCI.