Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Week 2021 – National Injury Insurance Scheme Queensland

As we embrace the warmer weather in the coming months, this week we also acknowledge Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Week.

Spinal Life Australia, a leading advocacy group for people living with paraplegia and quadriplegia, is focusing on the theme for this year: Good Access = Good Business.

NIISQ CEO Neil Singleton and Spinal Life Australia CEO Mark Townend met recently and reaffirmed the strong engagement between our two respective organisations to increase awareness, access and support for people with spinal cord injuries.

“The NIISQ Agency is privileged to support participants with spinal cord injury throughout their recovery and rehabilitation post-accident. Ensuring accessibility at home, in their communities and at their workplaces is vitally important to participants and their families, but also to the wider community,” Neil said.

Aussie! Aussie! Aussie!

Sunday, 5 September brought the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic games to its close. What an incredible and inspiring fortnight of strength and athleticism it was!

We at the NIISQ Agency watched on, as did the rest of Australia, as our largest-ever Team Australia competed on the global stage in event after event…brightly standing out in our green and gold and waving the Aussie flag at every opportunity.

It’s fitting that as the games close we acknowledge Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Week – with some competing athletes living with spinal cord injuries.

Queenslander Shelley Cronau, one of our star wheelchair basketball players, lives with a spinal cord injury and has been competing for Australia since 2011.

Paralympics Australia has provided a great resource that lets you ‘meet’ the incredible athletes and their journeys that led them to compete this year.

Take a moment to read more about them by clicking here – it is truly inspiring.

Image source: Paralympics Australia

Latest updates in our research and education program

Physiotherapy clinical practice guidelines for people with spinal cord injury (Qld component)

Work is continuing to power ahead in our collaboration with Metro South Health to deliver the Queensland component of a Queensland-first research project that will help physiotherapists provide consistent high-quality management for people with spinal cord injuries (SCI) including NIISQ participants.

The project, Physiotherapy Clinical Practice Guidelines for People with Spinal Cord Injury (Queensland component), is part of a wider initiative to develop guidelines to guide physiotherapy interventions for people with SCI.

There is currently no standardised physiotherapy guidelines in use in Australia that clearly identifies best practice physiotherapy management for people with SCI. This project will provide an accepted, practical guide that ensures people with a SCI are receiving high quality care. The guidelines will also be applicable to other allied health providers who provide complementary and combined management of the person with SCI. Importantly a consumer guideline will be developed so people with a spinal cord injury can understand the treatment evidence and make informed choices.

A Queensland Guideline Development Committee has been established including experts in SCI physiotherapy across Queensland and importantly a consumer representative to provide essential contributions to the project.

Queensland representatives have been working closely with teams from interstate to provide valuable input into the clinical questions along with evidence and consensus statements which are the basis of the guidelines. The collaboration enables Queensland to be at the forefront of research to improve the lives of Queenslanders with SCI and be an integral part of a multi-state guideline development team that will pave the way for standardised practice across Australia.

The guidelines are anticipated to be completed in the coming months and next year the focus will be on engaging with providers within Queensland and people with a SCI to translate the guidelines into clinical practice across the state.

Prevention and management of pressure injuries using advanced manufacturing of personalised cushions

We’re pleased to also update on another NIISQ-funded project that will provide real benefits to NIISQ participants and other members of the community who are living with spinal cord injury.

Through our partnership with Metro North Hospital and Health Service, this project to manufacture personalised cushions is looking at an innovative solution for preventing and managing pressure injuries experienced by people in wheelchairs.

The project aims to use 3D scanning, printing and modelling to create custom cushions that meet the needs of each individual using a wheelchair.

Valuable insight from clinical experts within the Queensland Spinal Cord Injury Service, Queensland Paediatric Rehabilitation Service and the Medical Aids Subsidy Scheme, along with consumers and other providers will ensure the design and consultation is thorough and fit-for-purpose.

The project, which is expected to be completed by 1 July 2022, provides the research team with an opportunity to gather data and lay the groundwork for a clinical trial and possible commercial production.

For more information on these projects click here.