Student Competition (Knowledge Generation) ID 1986472

Spinal cord injury (SCI) results in physical impairments and psychosocial issues that generate challenges to individuals, families, and society. Understanding the acute care hospital experience after SCI is important as it may have an impact on persons with spinal cord injuries’ (PWSCI) subsequent journey to the rehabilitation center and community. This experience has not been studied in Nepal, especially from the perspective of PWSCI. To understand how PWSCI (1) are involved in decision-making for their care; (2) are educated about secondary complications and, (3) perceive overall positive and negative experiences regarding their care during their acute care hospital stay in Nepal. Qualitative study based on Van Manen’s phenomenology using purposive sampling at the Spinal Injury Rehabilitation Center, the only dedicated SCI center in Nepal. We interviewed participants (n=24) who were referred from nine different acute hospitals using a semi-structured interview guide co-developed with SCI experts and PWSCI. Using thematic analysis, we extracted the findings with Manen’s approach. We identified three preliminary themes: (1) Families, but not PWSCI, are often included in the decision-making process; (2) For education on secondary complications, only pressure injury prevention was recalled; (3) Timeliness of spinal surgery was a concern. There are opportunities to improve the acute care experience for PWSCI in Nepal. PWSCI desired to be more engaged in the decision-making process and more involved in their own care. Concerns regarding the timeliness of surgery correlated with the findings of previous Nepali studies.