Patient perceptions of environmental control units: experiences of Veterans with spinal cord injuries and disorders receiving inpatient VA healthcare

AbstractPurpose: To assess patients’ perceptions of environmental control units (ECUs) at Veterans Affairs Spinal Cord Injury Centers.Materials and methods: A brief questionnaire was conducted with patients in real-time while they were hospitalised (“on-the-spot questionnaire”); a survey was mailed to patients who had recently been discharged from a hospital stay (“discharge survey”). Data were analysed using descriptive statistics.Results: Seventy on-the-spot questionnaires and 80 discharge surveys were collected. ECU features used most frequently were comparable in responses from both surveys: watching TV/movies (81%, 85%), calling the nurse (68%, 61%), turning lights on/off (63%, 52%), adjusting the bed (53%, 33%), and playing games (39%, 24%). Many on-the-spot questionnaire respondents felt the ECU met their need for independence a great deal (42%). Most respondents to both surveys were satisfied with the ECU (71%, 57%). Areas for improvement included user training, improved functionality of the devic...