Testing the Decision Aid: Supporting Patient Decisions About Upper Extremity Surgery in Cervical SCI

Testing the Decision Aid: Supporting Patient Decisions About Upper Extremity Surgery in Cervical Spinal Cord Injury (AIM 3)

Purpose: The objective of this study is to assess a newly created decision support intervention (DSI) or decision aid (DA) for people with spinal cord injury (SCI) to learn about and consider upper extremity reconstructive surgery to help them choose a course of treatment that most aligns with their values.

The overarching aim of this project is to define key information about improvement of upper extremity function after SCI (time and extent of recovery, outcome of surgical and non-surgical interventions and the experience thereof) and communicate this information to patients and clinicians to support their treatment decisions.

This particular Aim 3 of the overall project will assess a newly developed DSI/DA tool in a pre-/post- pilot study of people with SCI hoping to restore upper extremity function in cervical SCI. Using information from prior aims of this project, a de novo tool has been created and will be tested. This study will measure participant knowledge of their condition and treatment options, and decisional conflict. Participant feedback, demographics, and health-literacy information will be collected to help improve and refine the DA before it is made widely available to the public.

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Adult subjects (≥18 years to ≤80 years) with mid-cervical level SCI (minimum 6 months and maximum 20 years post-injury).
2. Must have limited use of their hands.
3. Wheelchair dependent for mobility.
4. Ability to read, speak and understand English.

Exclusion Criteria:

1) Previous treatment with nerve or tendon transfer surgery.