In May, The Training and Education Group brought together five specialists in the field of bladder, bowel and skin management that focused on providing case managers with essential knowledge on the effective management of conditions arising from spinal cord injuries. Bladder, Bowel and Skin Management in Spinal Cord Injury: Prevention is Better Than Cure served as a platform to delve into the intricacies of medical and therapeutic interventions. Their valuable insights and guidance aimed to enhance the overall quality of life for individuals facing these challenges.
Paralympian Steve Brown, whom himself experienced paralysis following a balcony fall in 2005, took the helm as the event’s chair. Steve’s remarkable journey of resilience and determination led him to captain the Great Britain Wheelchair Rugby team during the London 2012 Paralympic Games.
Steve introduced our first speaker Dr Salman Lari, Consultant in Spinal Cord Injury and Rehabilitation Medicine at Southport and Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust, who gave an in-depth explanation of the different aspects of Spinal Cord injury and the challenges that ageing can bring. Within his talk, Dr Lari covered the life expectancy of a person with spinal cord injury that affects both paraplegic and tetraplegic cases and discussed the characteristics of both traumatic and non-traumatic spinal injury. This included details on how the ageing process can affect the organ systems in people with SCI, the musculoskeletal system and the skin.
Neurogenic Specialist Nurse Jane Stanbridge of JPEL Training took over for the second session, discussing the role of a specialist nurse and how they can help case managers to achieve their client’s goals. Jane’s informative section included three interesting case studies that identified the different effects of the injury. Following this, Jane provided a detailed explanation of bladder and bowel management and how they differ for those who have been affected by SCI.
Event chair Steve was next to speak, giving a personal account of Spinal Cord Injury, how it affected his life and the battles he fought. His personal experience served as a powerful backdrop for the event, which fully amplified the importance of addressing bladder, bowel, and skin management in spinal cord injury cases.
Hester Dunne, Tissue Viability Nurse with the National Spinal Injuries Centre, opened the afternoon session, covering skin issues and how the ability to function normally changes after SCI. Hester explained the differences in skin functions before and after SCI, highlighting the key changes that occur after injury. Hester explained how to incorporate prevention into a skincare routine and the benefits of early intervention and treatment. Concluding her section, Hester discussed two case studies, detailing very different experiences of skin management within SCI.
Sue Paddison, Clinical Specialist and Lead Physiotherapist at the London Spinal Cord Injury Centre was our final speaker of the day with a discussion on the role of a Physiotherapist and how they can influence the Management of Bladder, Bowels and Skin in Spinal Cord Injury cases. Sue explored the different methods and equipment used in the rehabilitation of SCI patients, discussed pressure ulcer management and the effects of Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) to help reduce or prevent disuse and denervation atrophy, before the day ended with a panel session, brilliantly chaired once again by Steve.
An in-depth review of the event will be available to our members in the Autumn edition of the BABICM magazine. If you’re a member who attended the event and would like to feature in the magazine, we’d love to hear from you to tell us about your experience of the event and how it has helped you and your clients.
To gain access to all our previous magazines which contain a wealth of information, help and advice for case managers, become a member today. To find out more, contact our office on 0161 762 6440, email secretary@babicm.org or visit us at www.babicm.org/memberships.