Physical and Psychosocial Burdens of Patients with Spinal Cord Injury in Spinal Cord Injury Hospital in Baghdad City

Spinal Cord injury is a global health problem, affecting millions of people and causing a death or disability to a patient with a severe disability that may accompany them throughout their life. The study aims to determine the physical and psychological burden of spinal cord injuries and to find the relationship between the physical and psychosocial burdens of patients with spinal cord injuries and their relation to demographic characteristics such as age, gender, level of educational, level of injury and duration of injury. A descriptive study was conducted at the spinal cord injury hospital in Baghdad city for the period from 18 January, 2017 to 2 April, 2017. This is to achieve the objectives of the study. A sample of 126 patient was selected at the spinal cord injury hospital in Baghdad city. The data was collected through the use of study tool that consists of four parts, the first part included general information about patients and demographic characteristics and contained 12 items, the second part , which contains 18 items about clinical information, the third part about the complications that may accompany patients with spinal cord injuries and contains 42 items, and the fourth part which included the burdens faced patients with spinal cord injury and contains 47 items which are distributed as following: the physical burden 19 items , psychological burden 16 items and social burden 12 items, the total number of tool?s items are 119 items. Moreover, the data was collected by the researcher through a personal interview. The data were also described and analyzed through using of the descriptive statistics methods (frequency , percentage, arithmetic mean, standard deviation) ,as well as, using of inferential statistical (Pearson coefficient and triple Likert scale), the results of the study showed that patients suffer from physical, psychological and social burdens. The results of the study also indicated a very strong correlation between all aspects of the burden of patients with spinal cord injuries and some demographic characteristics such as gander and level of injury. The results of the study indicate that there is no significant relationship between all aspects of the burden of spinal cord injuries and the level of education of patients. The results of the study concluded that the following cases, the most common in the spinal cord injury were as following: people who are living in urban areas, young males, shell or gunshots injuries, paralysis of the lower extremities, injuries with incomplete damage, and thoracic injuries followed by cervical vertebrae. In addition, spinal cord injuries are associated with a number of complications which involving all the body's systems. The most common complications among patients include: edema, slow motion, chronic urinary tract infections, impotence, muscle spasm, muscle atrophy, chronic pain of back and neck, and the loss of teeth. Moreover, the results of the study indicate that spinal cord injury does not affect the continuity of the marital relationship of persons but affects the continuity of the work of people.The current study recommends the need to conduct comprehensive educational lectures for patients and health care providers on the burdens and complications that may occur after spinal cord injuries for the purpose of raising awareness of health and psychosocial and to follow the correct ways to deal with the case of injury. Moreover, most of patients also need to open branches of rehabilitation centers which will contribute to the distribution of aids for patients with spinal cord injuries in the region.