Participation in leisure and recreational activities has been associated with improvements in quality of life and social relationships for individuals with physical disabilities. The purpose of this study was to determine the most frequent facilitators and barriers that individuals with physical disabilities experience, both when starting with adaptive video gaming and when maintaining participation. A self-administered survey was used to collect data from individuals who currently participate in adaptive gaming and included three sections: (1) Demographic Section, (2) Gamer Habits Section, and (3) Facilitators and Barriers to Adaptive Gaming Section. A total of 256 participants met inclusion criteria and completed the study survey. Family, friends, rehabilitation staff members, social media/YouTube, and peer support were found to play a role in facilitating the initiation of adaptive gaming participation. Common facilitators of adaptive gaming were fun/entertainment, stress relief/relaxation, and prior involvement in video gaming. Barriers to adaptive gaming participation were cost of equipment and difficulties with gameplay. Older age and greater severity of hand impairment were associated with experiencing a higher number of barriers (p < 0.01). Improving funding resources, game accessibility, and access to professional assistance for adaptive gaming may help overcome some of the commonly reported barriers in this study.

Participation in leisure and recreational activities has been associated with improvements in quality of life and social relationships for individuals with physical disabilities. The purpose of this study was to determine the most frequent facilitators and barriers that individuals with physical disabilities experience, both when starting with adaptive video gaming and when maintaining participation. A self-administered survey was used to collect data from individuals who currently participate in adaptive gaming and included three sections: (1) Demographic Section, (2) Gamer Habits Section, and (3) Facilitators and Barriers to Adaptive Gaming Section. A total of 256 participants met inclusion criteria and completed the study survey. Family, friends, rehabilitation staff members, social media/YouTube, and peer support were found to play a role in facilitating the initiation of adaptive gaming participation. Common facilitators of adaptive gaming were fun/entertainment, stress relief/relaxation, and prior involvement in video gaming. Barriers to adaptive gaming participation were cost of equipment and difficulties with gameplay. Older age and greater severity of hand impairment were associated with experiencing a higher number of barriers (p < 0.01). Improving funding resources, game accessibility, and access to professional assistance for adaptive gaming may help overcome some of the commonly reported barriers in this study.

Current guidelines recommend four weeks of stress ulcer prophylaxis following traumatic spinal cord injury. Assess the current literature on the incidence, timing, and risk factors for gastrointestinal bleeding/clinically important gastrointestinal bleeding in the acute setting following a traumatic spinal cord injury and whether the use of stress ulcer prophylaxis has been shown to reduce the rates of gastrointestinal bleeding. A systematic review was performed in PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis guidelines. A total of 24 articles met the inclusion/exclusion criteria. The average rate of gastrointestinal bleeding among all studies was 5.5% (95% CI = 5.4–5.6%; n = 26,576). The average rate of clinically important gastrointestinal bleeding was 1.8% (95% CI = 1.79–1.82%; n = 3,857). The mean time since injury to when gastrointestinal bleeding occurred ranged from 5 to 22.5 days. For clinically important gastrointestinal bleeding the average time was 16 days or less. Those with cervical injuries had a higher incidence of clinically important gastrointestinal bleeding compared to those with non-cervical injuries (2.7% vs. 0.7%). No study found any difference in the use of stress ulcer prophylaxis in participants with or without gastrointestinal bleeding. The overall incidence of clinically important gastrointestinal bleeding among studies was found to be low. Individuals with non-cervical injury were not found to be at high risk of clinically important gastrointestinal bleeding. There was also insufficient evidence to indicate that use of stress ulcer prophylaxis reduces the rate of gastrointestinal bleeding in those with traumatic spinal cord injury.

Current guidelines recommend four weeks of stress ulcer prophylaxis following traumatic spinal cord injury. Assess the current literature on the incidence, timing, and risk factors for gastrointestinal bleeding/clinically important gastrointestinal bleeding in the acute setting following a traumatic spinal cord injury and whether the use of stress ulcer prophylaxis has been shown to reduce the rates of gastrointestinal bleeding. A systematic review was performed in PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis guidelines. A total of 24 articles met the inclusion/exclusion criteria. The average rate of gastrointestinal bleeding among all studies was 5.5% (95% CI = 5.4–5.6%; n = 26,576). The average rate of clinically important gastrointestinal bleeding was 1.8% (95% CI = 1.79–1.82%; n = 3,857). The mean time since injury to when gastrointestinal bleeding occurred ranged from 5 to 22.5 days. For clinically important gastrointestinal bleeding the average time was 16 days or less. Those with cervical injuries had a higher incidence of clinically important gastrointestinal bleeding compared to those with non-cervical injuries (2.7% vs. 0.7%). No study found any difference in the use of stress ulcer prophylaxis in participants with or without gastrointestinal bleeding. The overall incidence of clinically important gastrointestinal bleeding among studies was found to be low. Individuals with non-cervical injury were not found to be at high risk of clinically important gastrointestinal bleeding. There was also insufficient evidence to indicate that use of stress ulcer prophylaxis reduces the rate of gastrointestinal bleeding in those with traumatic spinal cord injury.