Perceived Clinical Barriers to Employment for Males with Spinal Cord Injury in Saudi Arabia

Ahmad H. AlWashmi, Ahmad Zaheer Qureshi, Sami Ullah, Saeed Bin Ayaz, Nourah Hamad AlKeaid and Hind Miqad Alotaibi
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Ahmad H. AlWashmi: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, College of Medicine, Qassim University, Buraydah 52571, Saudi Arabia
Ahmad Zaheer Qureshi: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, King Fahad Medical City, Riyadh 12231, Saudi Arabia
Sami Ullah: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, King Fahad Medical City, Riyadh 12231, Saudi Arabia
Saeed Bin Ayaz: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Combined Military Hospital Jhelum, Jhelum 49600, Pakistan
Nourah Hamad AlKeaid: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, King Fahad Medical City, Riyadh 12231, Saudi Arabia
Hind Miqad Alotaibi: Department of Nursing, King Fahad Medical City, Riyadh 12231, Saudi Arabia

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 8, 1-10

Abstract: Return to work is a challenging aspect of community integration for individuals with disabilities. The reintegration of individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) is multifactorial; hence, regional challenges need to be investigated in the context of their clinical attributes and perceptions. A total of 121 male participants above 18 years of age with diagnosis of SCI and living at home were included in this cross-sectional survey. The study was conducted at a tertiary care rehabilitation facility in Saudi Arabia. The most common reported clinical barriers to employment were mobility, bladder incontinence, spasticity, musculoskeletal pain, and neuropathic pain. Bladder incontinence and musculoskeletal pain were the most common perceived clinical barriers for individuals with paraplegia and tetraplegia, respectively. A significant difference was observed for bowel incontinence as a reported barrier ( p = 0.024) among adults less than thirty years of age in comparison with those older than thirty years. Spasticity as a barrier was reported more among patients who were older than thirty years (54.0%) compared to those younger than thirty years of age (37.9%) ( p = 0.077). Twenty-two (23.7%) participants with paraplegia reported transfers as a perceived barrier to employment, which was significant ( p = 0.014), and it was also reported as a significant barrier ( p = 0.001) in individuals with tetraplegia (56%). This study shows that clinical conditions associated with SCI are considered potential barriers to employment by individuals with SCI. In terms of priority, the perceived barriers between individuals with tetraplegia and paraplegia were mostly different. This shows the need to consider relevant secondary health care conditions in goal setting while planning for employment in individuals with SCI.

Keywords: spinal cord injuries; employment; rehabilitation; Saudi Arabia (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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