Home
A woman in a wheel chair in a gym.
A woman in a wheel chair in a gym.
A woman in a wheel chair in a gym.

Research Programme

A staged translational research programme

STRIVE-SCI is a national five-part research programme designed to generate knowledge about, and contribute to improving, rehabilitation pathways after spinal cord injury in Sweden.

The programme begins by examining recovery trajectories, patient experiences, unmet rehabilitation needs and organisational variation across rehabilitation pathways. These findings then inform pathway-informed co-design and future pilot implementation-oriented activities.

Research Grounded in Clinical Practice

A man sitting on a bed in a hospital room.
A group of nurses standing around a hospital bed.
A man sitting on a bed in a hospital room.
A woman sitting in a hospital bed next to another woman.
An older man brushing his teeth in a bathroom.
A woman sitting at a table with a bowl of food in front of her.
A woman in a wheelchair entering a building.

RC-1 Recovery trajectories and rehabilitation outcomes

RC1 explores recovery trajectories during the first year after spinal cord injury, based on national longitudinal clinical data.

This component analyses variations in patiens outcomes, recovery trajectories and remaining rehabilitation needs.

The aim is to provide the first national evidence base for understanding how recovery progresses across care settings during the first year post-injury.

Focus areas

  • Recovery trajectories
  • Patient outcomes
  • Variation across rehabilitation pathways
  • Remaining rehabilitation and health care needs
A clipboard with a checklist and a pen on it.

RC-2 Patient experiences across rehabilitation pathways

RC2 explores how people with spinal cord injury experience rehabilitation pathways across care settings during the first year post-injury.

This component focuses on experiences of care transitions, continuity, coordination, and factors that support or hinder rehabilitation progress.

Examples of focus areas

  • Care transitions
  • Continuity of rehabilitation
  • Perceived barriers and enabling factors
A purple circle with the words rc2 on it.

RC-3 Organisational mechanisms and pathway variation

RC3 examines organisational structures and system-level mechanisms to interpret and contextualise findings from RC1 and RC2.

This component analyses how the distribution of responsibilities, information transfer and coordination across specialised, regional and municipal care shape rehabilitation pathways across levels of care. 

Examples of focus areas

  • Coordination structures
  • Organisational variation
  • Information transfer
  • System-level pathway analysis
The rc3 logo on a purple background.

RC-4 Co-designed research-informed improvement interventions

Building on findings from the initial research components, the next phase of the programme will explore co-design processes involving clinical, community, policy and lived-experience perspectives.

The aim is to identify improvement interventions that strengthen coordination, continuity and equity across rehabilitation pathways.

 

A cell phone with puzzle pieces on it.

RC-5 Pilot implementation and feasibility exploration

A later phase of the programme is planned to explore pilot implementation activities informed by preceding findings.

This phase aims to support feasibility assessments of pathway-informed approaches across rehabilitation settings.

A piece of paper with a magnifying glass on top of it.

Publications

Scientific outputs from STRIVE-SCI will be shared here as the programme progresses.

Publications, reports and related outputs will reflect findings generated across the programme’s research components.

Antepohl, U., Butler Forslund, E., Flank, P., Holmlund, L., Antepohl, W., Levi, R., STRIVE-SCI Consortium, Divanoglou, A.*, & Jörgensen, S.* (2026). Psychometric properties of the Swedish versions of Spinal Cord Independence Measure IV (SCIM IV) and Self-report (SCIM-SR) in inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation settings. Spinal cord, 64(3), 241–249.