"You were lying in limbo and you knew nothing": a thematic analysis of the information needs of spinal cord injured patients and family members in acute care.

SCI patients and family members had significant unmet information needs in acute care.IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATIONSCI patients and family members had significant unmet information needs while in acute care. Being in non-specialist acute care significantly limited most participants' access to information.During the acute phase of care, most patients and family members would like to know the patient's recovery prognosis, the impact of SCI on the patient's functional independence, how to manage secondary complications, and what to expect in rehabilitation.As patients and family members often had difficulty absorbing information in the early stages post-injury, information should be continuously repeated, reinforced and clarified.HCPs should promote realistic hope for SCI patients and family members even in the absence of neurological recovery, by focusing on what the patient is still capable of while being honest about their prognosis.