Preventing pressure injuries after spinal cord injury with a clinic decision tool

Who could benefit from this research

What this research studies

You or your VA provider will use a short questionnaire you can complete at home or on an iPad to identify your risks and what help you need to avoid pressure injuries. The clinic receives a printed or electronic report that lists your answers and recommended actions for your provider to follow. The tool was piloted at one VA clinic and is being rolled out in phases to six more VA spinal cord injury clinics so staff can learn to use it and researchers can compare results. The team will track how often the tool is used and whether it reduces community-acquired pressure injuries and improves care.

Why it matters

Where this research is happening

• Edward Hines Jr VA Hospital
  Hines, United States Active

Researchers

• Principal investigator: Burkhart, Elizabeth — Edward Hines Jr VA Hospital
• Study coordinator: Burkhart, Elizabeth

Related research

Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.

• Personalized prediction of pressure sores after spinal cord injury

  This project will use body measures, muscle fat levels, and genetic information to predict which people with spinal cord injury are most likely to develop pressure sores so prevention can be personalized.

  NIH research Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center · Cleveland, United States · NIH-11415415

• Identifying risk factors for pressure injuries in people with spinal cord injuries

  This study is looking into why some people with spinal cord injuries get pressure injuries while others don’t, and it aims to find ways to predict who might be at risk so that we can help them stay healthy and improve their quality of life.

  NIH research Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center · Cleveland, United States · NIH-11193210

• Preventing pressure injuries in spinal cord injury patients using a decision support tool.

  This study is testing a new tool to help prevent pressure injuries for people with spinal cord injuries, making it easier for patients to identify their risk factors and for healthcare providers to give personalized advice, all in a way that's convenient for you to use at home or in the clinic.

  NIH research Edward Hines Jr VA Hospital · Hines, United States · NIH-10862256

• Corticospinal neurons and recovery of precise forelimb movement after spinal cord injury

  This project studies how spine injuries change brain circuits and whether targeted rehabilitation helps restore precise forelimb movement.

  NIH research Weill Medical Coll of Cornell Univ · New York, United States · NIH-11628900

• How baclofen and spinal cord stimulation interact in people with spinal cord injury

  This study looks at how a common antispasmodic medicine (baclofen) works together with spinal cord stimulation in people who have spinal cord injuries and live with spasticity.

  NIH research Mayo Clinic Rochester · Rochester, United States · NIH-11625970

• Targeting spinal cord inflammation with a new HuR inhibitor to help SCI patients

  A new treatment approach uses a small molecule to block a brain-spinal inflammation regulator (HuR) that drives harmful inflammation after spinal cord injury, aiming to lessen damage and pain for people with SCI.

  NIH research Birmingham VA Medical Center · Birmingham, United States · NIH-11617294

About this research

1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.