Patients' perspectives of a spinal cord injury unit.

The purpose of this study is to provide an ethnographic description of the subculture of a spinal cord injury (SCI) unit. The research method was qualitative, combining ethnographic interviews, participant observation, and document review. A 30 bed SCI facility on the west coast was selected as the setting for this ethnographic description. The developmental research sequence model (Spradley, 1980) and grounded theory (Glaser & Strauss, 1967) were used for data analysis. Findings indicate optimal rehabilitation is a creative and individualized process of reintegration. Reintegration prepares the individual for coping with physical limitations, architectural barriers, and societal prejudices while simultaneously making the person feel intact and valued. Successful reintegration promotes a "fit" between the newly injured spinal cord patient and the home environment. The patient learns to compensate for the physical limitations of the spinal cord injury in a manner that promotes safety, comfort, and personal worth. Successful reintegration assures the newly injured SCI patient returns to a viable occupation, feels physically attractive, participates in a rich, full social life, and maintains family ties. Four phases of reintegration emerged: buffering, transcending, toughening, and launching. Buffering is the nurturing and protective process of lessening, absorbing, or protecting the newly injured SCI patient against the shock of multiple ramifications of the injury and the indignities of being a patient; Transcending is the process of helping SCI patients recognize and rise above culturally imposed limitations and negative beliefs about people with disabilities. The "toughening up" process focuses on compensating for physical limitations, gaining independence, and maintaining social interactions without "using the disability." Launching is the process of (1) exposing rehabilitation patients to the real world, (2) exploring the range of options for living in the community, (3) promoting patient autonomy and decision making, and (4) facilitating the ejection of the patient from the rehabilitation program. The study is significant because it offers a new perspective for viewing a spinal cord injury unit. The proposed theoretical model explains patients' attitudes, beliefs, and behavior on SCI units. This model provides a framework for designing a prototype therapeutic milieu in SCI.