RRTC April Grand Rounds

On Tuesday, April 26 we hosted our quarterly Grand Rounds for the RRTC grant at the College of Health Professions Complex on MUSC's campus. Joycelyn Craig, BSN, RN, CRRN from the Shepherd Center and collaborator on the RRTC grant, spoke on "Every Patient with SCI Deserves a "Turn:" How, When, and Why." The three learning objectives of the presentation were to list at least three ways that turning benefits the patient, recognize proper padding and positioning, and defend turns, padding and positioning despite the use of specialty mattresses or beds.

In her presentation, Ms. Craig included times that patients are at risk for pressure ulcers, detailed definitions of pressure ulcers, as well as risk factors and mechanical and biochemical factors for pressure ulcers. She described different types of patient turns and the importance for routine turns, padding, positioning, and skin checks, as well as the reasons that specialty mattresses and beds alone are not sufficient to avoid pressure ulcers.

Thirty eight attendees came to the presentation which included occupational therapists, physical therapists, PhD researchers and students from MUSC and surrounding local hospitals. All attendees were eligible to receive one hour of CME or CEU credit. The next quarterly Grand Rounds will take place in July 2011 at MUSC.