Nursing interventions on the needs of people with spinal cord injury: an integrative review.

OBJECTIVE: To identify the nursing interventions used in care practices to the people with Spinal Cord Injuries (SCI) in the prehospital care, hospital attendance or in home care. METHOD: Integrative Review in BVS and PubMed, using these descriptors: Nursing, Spinal Cord Injuries, Paraplegia and Quadriplegia. RESULTS: The most prevalent interventions were: to position the patient correctly; to change the decubitus and to eliminate pressure in the injured area; to observe the urinary and bowel eliminations, inspect the skin; to perform the vesical catheterization and enema; to promote the hygiene. The educational interventions to people with SCI and their families, emphasizing to the achievement of self-care, are still limited. CONCLUSION: Most of the interventions were related to these patterns: Activity and exercise; Elimination; Nutrition and Metabolism. There is a need to create a specific script to systematize nursing care to people with SCI and their families.