Trends, Challenges, and Opportunities Regarding Research in Non-traumatic Spinal Cord Dysfunction

Top Spinal Cord Inj Rehabil, 2017 · DOI: 10.1310/sci2304-313 · Published: October 1, 2017

Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Public Health

Simple Explanation

Spinal cord dysfunction (SCDys) is caused by various health issues, and its occurrence is on the rise. Research into SCDys faces numerous challenges, including identifying cases, designing studies, collecting data, and securing funding. There's a need for better epidemiological studies to understand how often SCDys occurs, its prevalence, and patient survival rates to guide evidence-based care and policies.

Study Duration

4 Decades

Participants

Not specified

Evidence Level

Clinical Review

Key Findings

1
There has been a significant increase in publications on SCDys over the past four decades, indicating growing interest in the research community.
2
Challenges in SCDys research include difficulties in identifying cases, study design and data collection issues, and limited funding for preclinical and international studies.
3
Opportunities exist to improve SCDys research through agreed-upon terms, refined ICD coding, multicenter studies, and increased funding.

Research Summary

The increasing number of scientific papers on SCDys highlights the significance of this diverse group of conditions for researchers. The scarcity of high-quality epidemiological studies on the incidence, prevalence, and survival rates of SCDys patients provides a standard for guiding future research and informing evidence-based care and policy. Decision-makers in the health system lack critical data for evaluating system performance due to limitations in identifying and monitoring SCDys cases over time.

Practical Implications

Standardized Terminology

Adopting an internationally agreed-upon term for non-traumatic SCDys can improve literature searches and research comparability.

ICD Coding Refinement

Modifying and refining the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) coding conventions for conditions relevant to SCDys can improve the use of administrative databases.

Inclusion in Registries

Spinal cord registries should explore ways of including people with SCDys in addition to those with traumatic SCI.

Study Limitations

1
Lack of internationally accepted terms for spinal cord damage not due to trauma.
2
Lack of specific International Classification of Diseases–10 codes for SCDys.
3
Very little preclinical research focuses on SCDys

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