This is a parallel randomized clinical trial with two study arms, intervention and control. Ninety patients treated in three inpatient rehabilitation settings will be randomly allocated to two study groups. Both groups will receive standard care. The intervention group will also receive a copy of the SADL-eM from their treating occupational therapist during an individual session. Assessment on admission (baseline measure) and after six weeks of admission will use the SCIM-SR as the primary outcome measure. Secondary outcomes include the SCIM-III, Private Religiousness Practices Scale, Organizational Religiousness Short-Form, additional domains of ADL covered by the educational manual, and adherence to the intervention. The effect will be determined using repeated-measures ANOVA.
This study argues that providing evidence-based occupational therapy patient education is vital in order to optimize rehabilitation outcomes. The planned trial aims to evaluate the SADL-eM intervention for people with SCI compared with standard treatment.