Rehabilitation Nursing for Spinal Cord Injury

presented by Cheryl Lehman, PhD, RN, CRRN

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Cheryl Lehman receives compensation from MedBridge for this course. There is no financial interest beyond the production of this course.

Satisfactory completion requirements: All disciplines must complete learning assessments to be awarded credit, no minimum score required unless otherwise specified within the course.

MedBridge is committed to accessibility for all of our subscribers. If you are in need of a disability-related accommodation, please contact [email protected]. We will process requests for reasonable accommodation and will provide reasonable accommodations where appropriate, in a prompt and efficient manner.

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This course is part of our CRRN(R) Prep-Program. Learn more about the full prep-program here: MedBridge CRRN(R) Prep-Program.

The person with spinal cord injury presents a unique challenge in the rehabilitation setting. Rehabilitation goals and interventions will depend upon the age of the person, the level of the injury, and the completeness of the injury. The rehabilitation team must focus on the biopsychosocial aspects of the person with a new SCI in order to ensure optimal outcomes. This course presents an overview of spinal cord injury rehabilitation, beginning with the changes in physiology, and including information on key assessment parameters, rehabilitation nursing interventions, ideal educational objectives, and anticipated functional outcomes depending upon the level and completeness of the injury.

CRRN(R) is a registered trademark of the Association of Rehabilitation Nurses.

Meet Your Instructor

Cheryl Lehman, PhD, RN, CRRN

Dr. Cheryl Lehman has been a registered nurse since graduating from the Decatur Memorial Hospital School of Nursing in 1978. Since that time, she earned a BSN from Maryville University-St. Louis in 1990; an MSN in Adult Health Nursing from the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) at Galveston in the Clinical Nurse Specialist role…

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1. The Numbers

This chapter introduces the history of spinal cord injury rehabilitation in the United States. The statistics related to SCI will be addressed, including demographics, causes, levels of injury, recovery, and causes of morbidity and mortality.

2. Background

This chapter provides a quick review of the anatomy of the spinal column, spinal cord, and spinal nerves. The dermatome chart will be introduced and modes of injury will be examined. Complete and incomplete injuries will be compared. There will be a brief review of spinal cord syndromes. The purpose and use of the Asia scale will be discussed. The potential impairments at each level of injury will be considered.

3. The Effect on Body Systems

This chapter examines the biological changes that a person experiences due to a spinal cord injury. In particular, it will focus on the respiratory, cardiac, vascular, and temperature control changes following spinal cord injury. The influence of SCI on each system will be discussed, along with assessment parameters and interventions. The effects of age, level of injury, and completeness of injury will be addressed.

4. The Effect on Bladder and Bowel

This chapter examines the biological changes that a person experiences due to a spinal cord injury. Specifically, it will focus on the urinary, gastrointestinal, musculoskeletal and integumentary systems. The influence of SCI on each system will be discussed, along with assessment parameters and interventions. The effects of age, level of injury, and completeness of injury will be addressed. Autonomic dysreflexia will be reviewed.

5. The Effect on Psychological Health and Social Systems

This chapter examines the psychological and sociological changes that a person may experience due to a spinal cord injury. The effects of age, level of injury, and completeness of injury will be addressed. Reproductive systems will be included, as they affect psychological health. The challenges of discharge planning will be discussed.