The Physical and Psychosocial Health Status of Clients With Spinal Cord Injury Awarded Damages in Litigation

As the specialization of life care planning continues to evolve, a greater emphasis is occurring from both within the discipline and externally for empirically driven data to support life care planner opinions. One area remaining unresolved pertains to life care planners’ knowledge of how, or if, their life care plan has been implemented post-settlement. A related area pertains to the daily physical and psychosocial health issues of persons with spinal cord injury which can impact the development of their life care plan. The present pilot study explored injury related characteristics and the post-settlement expenditures of former life care plan clients with spinal cord injury as well as their acute rehabilitation experience, psychological and sexual adjustment, perceived health, re-hospitalization, and secondary complications. A rationale for responding to attorney questions regarding implementing aspects of the life care plan is provided.