Time use following spinal cord injury: an examination of the literature

Introduction: Meaningful time use provides an indicator of quality of life and is a key area of interest to occupational therapists. Spinal cord injury is a prevalent and catastrophic acquired neurological impairment, which occurs most commonly in early adulthood. Spinal cord injury has been found to have little impact on life expectancy, but has a profound influence on productivity and participation. Understanding how people with spinal cord injury use their time is imperative if rehabilitation and quality of life outcomes are to be influenced. Method:A systematic review was completed and relevant studies located. These studies were then rated to discern their level of evidence. Results: A total of four published articles, from two studies, were found that fitted the inclusion criteria. All published studies were cross-sectional surveys. The level of evidence provided in these studies is relatively low. Conclusion: There has been limited research completed in the area of time use following spinal cord injury. There is a need for high quality evidence to inform occupational therapists about how people with spinal cord injury spend their time and how satisfied they are with the occupations in which they engage.