Client-centred assessment and the identification of meaningful treatment goals for individuals with a spinal cord injury.

Study Design: Retrospective analysis.

Objectives: (1) Describe the self-care, productivity and leisure problems identified by individuals with a spinal cord injury (SCI) during rehabilitation, (2) describe the perceived level of satisfaction and performance with self-care, productivity and leisure activities following an SCI, (3) quantify the relationship between the Canadian occupational performance measure (COPM), a client-centred, individualized measure of function, and the functional independence measure (FIM).

Setting: Tertiary rehabilitation centre, spinal cord injury unit, GF Strong Rehabilitation Centre, Vancouver, Canada.

Methods: Health records from 41 individuals with an SCI admitted between 2000 and 2002 were reviewed. Information was obtained from assessments performed on admission and discharge. Self-care, productivity and leisure problems identified by individuals with an SCI were described and their perceived level of performance and satisfaction was calculated. The relationship between the COPM and the FIM was measured by the Pearson product correlation.

Results: Self-care goals were identified most frequently (79%) followed by productivity (12%) and leisure (9%) goals. The top three problems identified by individuals with an SCI were functional mobility (including transfers and wheelchair use), dressing and grooming. A fair relationship was found between the COPM and the FIM (r between 0.351 and 0.514, P<0.05).

Conclusions: The results highlight the importance of including a client-centred outcome measure in the assessment of individuals with an SCI. Initial support is provided for use of the COPM in individuals with an SCI.