HI physical therapists attend to a victim of the Nepal earthquake with a spinal cord and a head injury. | © Brice Blondel/HI
HI physical therapists attend to a victim of the Nepal earthquake with a spinal cord and a head injury. | © Brice Blondel/HI
The Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) Specialist Care Team is a team of SCI specialists, led by Humanity and Inclusion (HI UK), as part of the UKEMT.
On 12th June 2021, HI UK ran its first online introductory course for the SCI team. Multi-disciplinary participants attended, including Pharmacists, Nurses and an Occupational Therapist. The course was led by SCI specialists, including those who had deployed to Haiti and Nepal post-earthquake. Content covered an exploration of SCI care in low- and middle-income countries, discussion around the clinical priorities of an emergency setting, and debate around ethical challenges.
The training had a good reception with one of the participants stating:
‘Great course and this has given me what I hoped [for] and raised my knowledge and understanding.’
A second introductory course is being run in September 2021 so please email us if you have the relevant skills!
We are looking for therapists who have a minimum of 6 months working at Band 6 level in a SCI unit or major trauma unit, where you have regularly worked with people who have had a SCI. The online courses will be paired with a face-to-face simulation training event, provisionally booked for the weekend of 15-17th October 2021.
We are running our next webinar ‘COVID-19 Deployments: safe and effective rehabilitation input’ for UKEMT members (rehab focus but all can attend) on Tuesday 10/08/2021 at 6.30pm. The webinar will aim to summarize the role rehabilitation has in COVID-19 responses in EMT settings, in both remote and in-person support. There will be the opportunity for the panel and attendees to discuss “what rehabilitation deployments might hold in the future”, followed by a Q&A session.
Provisional Speakers:
Last year, HI, in collaboration with key partners (the AO Foundation, ICRC, MSF France, CBM, Livability and WHO), launched the world’s first educational resource for Early Rehabilitation in Conflicts and Disasters. The Field Handbook is freely available globally and online for any rehabilitation professionals living in or preparing to work in emergency settings. You can download digital versions here, in English, French and Arabic. Furthermore, the Field Handbook is accompanied by a free online course: Access the course on DisasterReady.org.
UKEMT members who are keen to network with peers can also join the rehab Facebook group - please email us to ask for the link. If you are not on Facebook, do not worry! HI & UK-Med will ensure to keep you up to date on key updates via the UKEMT email list.
