Abstract

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OBJECTIVES: The purpose of the study was to determine the level of disability and quality of life of people with spinal cord injury at the end of their inpatient rehabilitation at a rehabilitation center in Bangladesh. These outcomes were considered indicators of successful rehabilitation and a basis for comparing the success of reintegration into community. SETTING: Center for the Rehabilitation of the Paralyzed, Bangladesh. METHODS: Two standard structured questionnaires, the WHODAS 2.0 and WHOQOL-BREF, was used to collect data to assess level of disability and quality of life (QOL). Data were analyzed using Mann–Whitney-U test and Kruskal–Wallis test. RESULTS: One hundred participants (91 men and 9 women) with SCI were recruited. Just prior to discharge from in-patient rehabilitation at CRP people with SCI perceived themselves overall as having on average a mild level of disability, and good QOL in physical, psychological, and environmental health domains. They indicated poor QOL in the social health domain. There were some specific differences in various WHODAS 2.0 Domains and overall scores when comparing age, gender, type and level of injury, occupation, and income. Between-group comparisons indicated that male participants had a significantly higher quality of life in the Environmental Health Domain and those with a paraplegic injury had a significantly higher quality of life in the Physical Health Domain. CONCLUSION: By the end of their rehabilitation people with SCI had a relatively positive perception of level of disability and QOL. However, the results of other research has found that post-discharge their disability level increase and QOL decrease across all domains. Hence, it is recommended that more monitoring of level of disability and QOL is conducted post-discharge, along with a greater focus on community-based rehabilitation strategies and procedures to contribute to long-term reduction in level of disability and improved QOL.