PATIENT EDUCATION AND SPINAL CORD INJURY: THE PREVENTION OF PRESSURE SORES.
Contributors: Council for National Academic Awards (Great Britain)
Published: 1986
Number of pages: 544
Subjects: Health Sciences, Education.; Health Sciences, Nursing.
Description: Available from UMI in association with The British Library. Requires signed TDF.

A Rehabilitation Model was developed to predict spinal cord injured people at risk of readmission to hospital with pressure sores, and to provide the basis for an educational programme. The model integrated three theoretical approaches; an "economic" model of post-discharge outcome, expectancy-value theory and attributional theory.

The study was divided into three phases. The first phase assessed the adequacy of educational provision. The second phase surveyed retrospectively factors associated with pressure sores and post-discharge quality of life of 220 ex-patients from two spinal units in the U.K. The third phase at three spinal units consisted of a prospective survey about pressure sores which assessed: 40 newly injured patient's beliefs, attributions and behavioural intentions; 37 members of staff and their expectations and attributed causes of pressure sores for patients; and the effectiveness of an educational programme in modifying patient knowledge, beliefs and attributional style. Patients were followed-up one year post-discharge to determine if they had subsequently developed pressure sores.

The Rehabilitation Model discriminated between negative and positive outcomes including those at risk of developing pressure sores and of readmission. Causal and culpable attributions about the original accident were found to be significantly associated with a range of adaptive and maladaptive outcomes and the development of behavioural and health beliefs. Patient's causal and culpable attributions for the original accident differed from those for minor events such as pressure sores and both varied with severity of injury, sex, and time since injury. During rehabilitation patient's causal and culpable attributions were found to be significantly associated with staff attributional style and expectations about patient outcome. Where patient attributions differed from staff attributional style and expectations, maladaptive outcomes occurred significantly more often one year post-discharge. The educational programme significantly increased levels of patient knowledge and modified health beliefs which in turn were significantly associated with medical complications post-discharge. The implications of the study are discussed for patient education, the prevention of pressure sores, and the three theoretical approaches.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 49-02, Section: B, page: 0352.

Thesis (PH.D.)--COUNCIL FOR NATIONAL ACADEMIC AWARDS (UNITED KINGDOM), 1986.

School code: 0935.