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3.2. General Medical Concerns for People with Spinal Cord Injury

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1) Primary Resources for General Medical Concerns and Locating Primary Care Physicians

• General Medical Concerns for People with Spinal Cord Injuries — You and Your Primary Care and Spinal Cord Injury: What You (and Your Provider) Need to Know
  This SCI Forum presentation was offered by Northwest Regional Spinal Cord Injury System (NWRSCIS).  When a health concern comes up, how do you know what kind of health care provider to see? What can you expect from your primary care team? What testing should you receive as part of "routine" care? What do you need to know about accessibility of medical facilities and your rights as a patient living with a disability? Get answers to these and other questions about managing your health care in this presentation by Dr. Michael Stillman, an internal medicine physician who is an expert in primary care for individuals with SCI. Presented on October 25, 2016 at the University of Washington.  
  
  
• How to Find, Train and Work With a Primary Care Physician (PCP) - New Mobility Magazine (July 2020) 
  For information about how to choose a PCP, including what questions to ask, ways to educate PCPs about your disability and how to search for one, New Mobility turned to advice from experts and seasoned wheelchair users. 
  

• Changing or Choosing Your Doctor (Craig Hospital Pamphlet) 
  This pamphlet published by Craig Hospital (a longstanding Spinal Cord Injury Model System Center) discusses important considerations for people with SCI when selecting a physician. 

• Interacting With Your Doctor - Craig Hospital 
  This pamphlet published by Craig Hospital (a longstanding Spinal Cord Injury Model System Center) discusses important considerations when accessing health services and communicating with your physicians as an engaged participant in your health care. 
  

2.)  SCI Related Resources for Primary Care Physicians and Other Clinical Specialists 

• Primary Care Providers — SCI Healthcare Resources — American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) 
  Two U.S. based North American societies for SCI professionals,  ASIA and the Academy of Spinal Cord Injury Professionals (ASCIP), partnered with primary care provider colleagues and consumers to curate, develop and disseminate easy to use resources for primary care providers. Resources include articles, factsheets, articles in Spanish, resources for Administrators and Practice Managers, links to "actionable nuggets" and more. 

• SCIRE Professional (Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Evidence) 
  SCIRE is a Canadian collaboration between scientists, clinicians and consumers. SCIRE Professional covers a comprehensive set of topics relevant to SCI rehabilitation and community reintegration. SCIRE reviews, evaluates, and translates existing research knowledge into a clear and concise format to inform health professionals and other stakeholders of best rehabilitation practices following SCI. SCIRE also offers an online resource for people living with SCI, their families, friends and caregivers, known as SCIRE Community.  
  

• PVA Clinical Practice Guidelines 
  Developed for healthcare specialists based on evidence-based research conducted by the Consortium for Spinal Cord Medicine, these comprehensive and useful booklets are available in print, as interactive eBooks, or as free downloadable PDFs. PVA Consumer Guidelines, available for patient use can be found in the Health and Wellness Knowledge Book in chapters about particular body systems.