Utilization of outpatient physical and occupational therapy in people with spinal cord injury in Germany: Results of the German Spinal Cord Injury (GerSCI) Survey.

OBJECTIVE: Assessing factors determining the utilization of physical and occupational therapy in people with spinal cord injury (SCI). DESIGN: Data from the German Spinal Cord Injury (GerSCI) study conducted in 2017 were analyzed. The 12-month prevalence of physical therapy (PT) and occupational therapy (OT) utilization was determined. To identify underlying determinants, multivariable logistic regression was used. RESULTS: Of 1,479 participants (response: 26.4%), 72.9% were male, with a mean age of 55.3 years (SD: 14.6) and a mean time since injury of 14.0 years (SD: 12.0); 51.2% were people with paraplegia and 66.3% had an incomplete SCI. In the past 12 months, 78.1% received physical and 29.3% occupational therapy. PT and OT were significantly associated with time since SCI occurrence, participation in lifelong care programs and electric wheelchair dependency. SCI characteristics, level of impairment, and time since SCI had a greater impact on OT than on PT utilization. CONCLUSION: The use of PT and OT is much higher in Germans with SCI than in the general population and in people with similar neurological conditions. Further research should focus on the frequency of use and the types of interventions. Guidelines for lifelong care should include recommendations on PT and OT.