Haarbauer-Krupa Juliet, Wallace Tracey, Eugene Dajuandra, Tucker Jordan, Johnson Susan
Georgia RSVP Clinic, Atlanta.
Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA.
Am J Speech Lang Pathol. 2025 Jun 26;34(3S):1608-1614. doi: 10.1044/2025_AJSLP-24-00093. Epub 2025 Apr 29.
Uninsured individuals who experience brain injury and spinal cord injury (SCI) may not have access to health care services following their injury. We describe the demographic characteristics and reported problems in communication and cognition of individuals attending the Georgia Rehabilitation Services Volunteer Partnership (RSVP) Clinic, a free clinic that provides rehabilitative care to uninsured and underinsured individuals who experience these injuries.
Descriptive statistics examined at admission include injury type, age, race/ethnicity, highest level of education completed, employment status, and insurance type. Clinic participants are asked if they experience problems with having a conversation, reading, writing/typing, remembering things, paying attention, making decisions/solving problems, and the importance of addressing these areas in clinic.
Of the 63 participants, 49% had an acquired brain injury (ABI) and 56% had an SCI. Individuals served in our clinic have a mean age of 38 years old, are primarily male (68%), are Black or African American (75%), and were unemployed at the time of admission (98%). Fifty-seven individuals (ABI = 29, SCI = 30, dual ABI and SCI = 2) responded to questions about difficulties in communication and cognition at clinic intake of which 40 of those individuals identified one or more challenges in these areas. Writing/typing was the most prevalent communication complaint, whereas remembering was the most frequently reported cognitive challenge. One participant completed these questions at clinic discharge, demonstrating improvement in communication and cognition.
The Georgia RSVP Clinic provides opportunity to understand uninsured adults who experience a brain injury or SCI. Clinic data provide insight on important patient experiences related to problems with communication and cognition. The clinic offers a unique opportunity to observe the "invisible" population of individuals who experience brain injury and SCI who do not have access to resources in Georgia.
经历脑损伤和脊髓损伤（SCI）的未参保个体在受伤后可能无法获得医疗服务。我们描述了参加佐治亚州康复服务志愿者合作诊所（RSVP诊所）的个体的人口统计学特征以及所报告的沟通和认知方面的问题，该诊所是一家免费诊所，为经历这些损伤的未参保和参保不足的个体提供康复护理。
入院时检查的描述性统计数据包括损伤类型、年龄、种族/族裔、完成的最高教育水平、就业状况和保险类型。诊所参与者被问及他们在交谈、阅读、书写/打字、记忆事情、集中注意力、做决定/解决问题方面是否有困难，以及在诊所解决这些问题的重要性。
在63名参与者中，49%患有后天性脑损伤（ABI），56%患有SCI。在我们诊所接受服务的个体平均年龄为38岁，主要为男性（68%），是黑人或非裔美国人（75%），入院时失业（98%）。57名个体（ABI = 29，SCI = 30，ABI和SCI双重损伤 = 2）在诊所入院时回答了关于沟通和认知困难的问题，其中40名个体在这些方面识别出一个或多个挑战。书写/打字是最普遍的沟通方面的抱怨，而记忆是最常报告的认知挑战。一名参与者在诊所出院时完成了这些问题，显示出沟通和认知方面的改善。
佐治亚州RSVP诊所提供了了解经历脑损伤或SCI的未参保成年人的机会。诊所数据提供了有关与沟通和认知问题相关的重要患者经历的见解。该诊所提供了一个独特的机会来观察在佐治亚州无法获得资源的经历脑损伤和SCI的“隐形”人群。
