Nursing Practice Related to Spinal Cord Injury and Disorders: A Core Curriculum

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This comprehensive guide to the practice of SCI nursing and authoritative resource for all nurses in the field was developed under the auspices of the Eastern Paralyzed Veterans Association (EPVA) in collaboration with the American Association of Spinal Cord Injury Nurses (AASCIN), the only nursing organization devoted exclusively to promoting excellence in meeting the nursing care needs of individuals with SCI. It was designed to meet the needs of nurses with varying years of experience in the specialty, working in a variety of roles and practice settings.

The organizing framework for this Core Curriculum comprises six sections:

Background Information for Nursing Practice Related to Spinal Cord Impairment (SCI)

• provides background information for SCI nursing practice, including the philosophy, goals, and process of SCI nursing practice, diversity in nursing practice roles and settings, cultural issues, and collaboration in teams.

Foundation for Nursing Practice Related to SCI

• provides the practicing nurse with a foundation, including brief presentations of anatomy and physiology of the spine and spinal cord and overview of the consequences of SCI, including special issues related to pediatric SCI care. Guidelines are provided for comprehensive neurologic assessment.

Functional Alterations: Physical Domain

• addresses the myriad physical functional alterations that occur with SCI because improving function and promoting independence are primary goals of rehabilitation. These functional alterations are organized around body systems.

Functional Alterations: Personal Domain

• continues the focus on functional alterations but emphasizes the psychological/psychosocial domain rather than the physical domain. Topics include sexuality and reproduction, body image, family, stress and coping, and activity and exercise.

Trajectory of SCI Nursing Care

• provides a trajectory of nursing care throughout the care continuum realizing that rehabilitation is an ongoing process which begins at the onset of impairment and extends throughout the entire episode of SCI and across the life span. Beginning with prevention of the initial injury, this section also includes trauma care, critical care, acute rehabilitation, caregiver training and support, community reintegration and independent living, the prevention and management of secondary disabilities, and issues related to aging with a disability.

Shaping SCI Nursing Practice

• addresses topics that shape professional practice of nurses in this specialty field, including improvement and outcome evaluation and research priorities.