From Injury to Inclusion: Evidence From the International Spinal Cord Injury Survey (InSCI).

Abstract

To map the scope, thematic focus, and contribution of publications based on the International Spinal Cord Injury Community Survey (InSCI), and to identify remaining knowledge gaps in the literature. We conducted a structured evidence map of peer-reviewed publications derived from InSCI. InSCI is a cross-sectional survey of adults with spinal cord injury/disease (SCI/D). Wave 1 (2017 to 2019) included 12,591 participants across 22 countries; wave 2 (2022 to 2024) included 15,249 participants across 32 countries. Publications were tracked and classified into 7 IPSCI-based domains. By April 2026, InSCI generated 117 peer-reviewed publications (including 11 from wave 2). Health care needs were the largest category, followed by epidemiological studies, enabling environments, and education/employment. InSCI-based publications reported cross-country differences in quality of life, health care access, unmet needs, environmental barriers, and employment. Publications also reported a high burden of secondary health conditions, variation in health service use, and lower employment rates among persons with SCI/D compared with the general population. InSCI offers an expanding international data set on the lived experiences of individuals with SCI/D. Although publication activity is high across several IPSCI domains, critical research gaps remain regarding equity, gender, education, younger populations, and general population comparisons.