Abstract: Objective: To systematically evaluate the qualitative studies on Neuropathic Pain (NP) experience of patients with spinal cord injury, in order to provide reference for improving their mental health and establishing a support system. Methods: Qualitative studies on NP experience in patients with spinal cord injury were retrieved from PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, Web of Science, the Cochrane Library, CNKI, WanFang Data, CBM, and VIP from inception to December 31, 2023. The quality of literature was evaluated using the quality evaluation standards set by the Evidence-Based Healthcare Center of the Joanna Briggs Institute in Australia, and the results were integrated using a pooled integration method. Results: Ten articles were enrolled with 38 original topics being extracted to form 9 new categories which were integrated into 3 overall results, including: multiple experiences and impacts of NP, adopting different strategies to deal with NP, and having unsatisfied multidimensional needs. Conclusion: Patients with spinal cord injury have gone through unique NP experiences and they have diverse coping styles requiring relevant support. Medical staff should pay attention to the NP of those patients, provide them with support and encouragement to help them better cope with pain and improve their quality of life.

Key words: spinal cord injury; Neuropathic Pain; qualitative research; Meta-synthesis