Shared Responsibility Between General Practitioners and Highly Specialized Hospitals in Spinal Cord Injury (SCICO)
Spinal Cord Injuries
About this trial
This is an interventional health services research trial for Spinal Cord Injuries
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria:
Physicians
- GPs practicing in medium to large group practice
- The practice is wheelchair accessible and remote to SCI specialized centers
- Proficiency certificate in ultrasonography
Patients:
- Diagnosed with traumatic or non-traumatic, sensory or motor complete or incomplete, chronic SCI
- 18 years or older
- Permanently reside in Switzerland
- Reside farther than 25 minutes driving distance from a specialized SCI center
- Understand German, English, Italian
- Informed consent
- Additionally in treatment group: Patients with chronic SCI Living in the region of a participating GP irrespective if they visit the participating primary care practice.
- Additionally in control group: individuals with SCI who live outside the catchment areas
Exclusion Criteria:
Patients:
- Acute SCI or during first rehabilitation phase - Congenital conditions leading to paraplegia or tetraplegia, including spina bifida - Neurodegenerative disorders such as multiple sclerosis and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis - Guillain-Barré syndrome
Sites / Locations
- Schweizer Paraplegiker Forschung
Arms of the Study
Arm 1
Arm 2
Active Comparator
No Intervention
Intervention group
Control group
Physicians: 10 GPs from 10 practices who treat patient with Spinal cord injury (SCI) and 10 SCI specialists. Patients: 270 people with SCI within 25 minutes vehicle driving distance to the GP practices will be in the intervention group
Physicians: 20 GPs who treat patient with SCI will not receive any intervention. They will be completing the questionnaire (DOC) and assessed for satisfaction with collaboration with the SCI specialist. Patients: 210 people with spinal cord injury outside the catchment area of the intervention group will be receiving usual care (no intervention)