In the SwiSCI study, one of the aims is assessment of prevalence of comorbidities, associated injuries and health conditions in persons with SCI.
A second aim of SwiSCI is studying cause specific morbidity, crude death rate and cause specific morbidity.
A third aim is getting more insight of the direct and indirect association of health conditions, body structures and body functions with functioning and quality of life (QOL).
Swiss Spinal Cord Injury Cohort Study - SwiSCI - is a comprehensive cohort study for persons with spinal cord injuries (SCI) in Switzerland, funded by Swiss Paraplegic Foundation.
The core research of SwiSCI focuses on many aspects of functioning, health and quality of life of persons with SCI along the continuum of care, in the community and along their life span.
SwiSCI intends to establish a scientific basis for cost-effective and evidence-based care for people with SCI in the clinical and community setting. Furthermore the study will help to optimize procedures and planning of specialized services in Switzerland and elsewhere. SwiSCI has role model character for multi-disciplinary rehabilitation research in Switzerland.
Geyh S, Kunz S, Müller R, Peter C: Describing functioning and health after spinal cord injury in the light of psychological–personal factors. Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine 2016; 48: 219-234.
A main goal of SwiSCI is to establish a reliable epidemiological database for SCI that may inform Swiss social and health policy regarding measures to prevent SCI as well as to anticipate likely increases in the future demand on resources for external support and specialized care.
To that purpose the study aims to provide reliable estimates of key epidemiological indicators related to mortality, morbidity and functioning for SCI and the demographic, geographic and other variation in relation to the health system in these statistics.
Rubinelli S, Glässel A, Brach M: From the person’s perspective: Perceived problems in functioning among individuals with spinal cord injury in Switzerland, Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine 2016; 48: 235-243.
Gemperli A, Ronca E, Scheel-Sailer A, Koch HG, Brach M, Trezzini B, SwiSCI Study Group.: Health care utilization in persons with spinal cord injury: part 1 - outpatient services. Spinal Cord. 2017 May 2. doi: 10.1038/sc.2017.44. [Epub ahead of print].
Ronca E, Scheel-Sailer A, Koch HG, Gemperli A, SwiSCI Study Group: Health care utilization in persons with spinal cord injury: part 2 - determinants, geographic variation and comparison with the general population. Spinal Cord. 2017 May 2. doi: 10.1038/sc.2017.38. [Epub ahead of print].
Reinhardt JD, Post MWM, Fekete C, Trezzini B, Brinkhof MWG, on behalf of SwiSCI Study Group: Labor Market Integration of People with Disabilities: Results from the Swiss Spinal Cord Injury Cohort Study. PLOS ONE, 2016; 11(11): e0166955. Published online 2016 Nov 22. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0166955
Bertschy S, Geyh S, Pannek J, Meyer T: Perceived needs and experiences with healthcare services of women with spinal cord injury during pregnancy and childbirth — a qualitative content analysis of focus groups and individual interviews. BMC Health Services Research, 2015 Jun 16;15:234. doi: 10.1186/s12913-015-0878-0.
Prodinger B, Ballert CS, Cieza A: Setting up a cohort study of functioning: From classification to measurement, Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine 2016; 48: 131-140.
In order to better understand and optimize the quality of life and health of persons with SCI SwiSCI strives for three special aims:
Brinkhof MWG, Fekete C, Chamberlain JD, Post MWM, Gemperli A: Swiss national community survey on functioning after spinal cord injury: Protocol, characteristics of participants and determinants of non-response. Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine 2016; 48: 120-130.
The SwiSCI Study Center is located at Swiss Paraplegic Research (SPR) in Nottwil. Leaders of SPR are Prof. Dr. Gerold Stuckias director since 2005 and Mirjam Brach as research manager since 2006.
It is the objective of the SPR to contribute to a long-term and lasting improvement of functioning, equal opportunities and quality of life of people with paraplegia through holistic, clinical and population-based research. The holistic perspective of research at the Swiss Paraplegic Research Institute is unique and it integrates all relevant bio-psychosocial aspects of human experience into its research.
The SPR follows the strategy 'GSIR' (Get Strategy into Research) as a principle, in order to ensure that the relating strategies of research in the single projects are realized in the daily routine of research. There is the overall goal "GRIP" (Get Research into Practice) in the development phase, which supports the implementation of the research results into provision, services and politics.
In order to realize its objectives, the SPR has established a national and international research network for holistic rehabilitation research, with which the latest insights shall now be applied for best possible medical support and care, social security, politics and society. The Swiss Paraplegic Research Institute is an institution which is recognized and sponsored by the state and the canton. It is also connected to the professorship of Health Sciences and Health Politics at the University of Lucerne and hence plays an important role at the research location Switzerland.
