Texas Children’s Rehabilitation Services contributes on an international scale

 

The American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine (ACRM) – the premier conference for multispecialty rehabilitation specialists – held its Annual National/ International Conference in Dallas this October. Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Services and the Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit at Texas Children’s Hospital was well represented at the conference, using the event’s high-profile platform to highlight the strides Texas Children’s Rehabilitation Services has made throughout 2015. Here are some of the ways the group was involved at the recent global gathering:

• Rehabilitation Services had more accepted abstracts, posters and symposia than any other institution attending the ACRM conference. Departments and divisions represented in this collaboration were: Hematology/ Oncology, Rheumatology, Neurosurgery, Cardiac Transplantation, Nursing, Neuropsychology/ Psychology, Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Speech Therapy, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, General/ Trauma Surgery, Quality Improvement, Community Services (Caring Critters), and Administrative Services. See below for a look at the variety of work represented in the abstract/poster presentation.
• The pediatric Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit (IRU) and the Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Centers teamed up to present two symposia (75 minute talks) on delivering high quality cancer rehabilitation care to children with hematologic/oncologic diagnoses. Drs. Mona Shah and Christian Niedzwecki presented on how functional outcomes in children with hematologic/oncologic diagnoses benefit from a paradigm of co-management. They presented guidelines they developed for communication before and after admission to the Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit. In addition, the (IRU) Program Manager Pam Lathem, Assistant Director for Palliative Care Joy Hesselgrave and IRU Medical Director Christian Niedzwecki presented a nuts and bolts discussion on how to provide acute inpatient rehabilitation to children with hematologic/oncologic diagnoses. See below to read more about the talks.
• Rehabilitation Services Cardiac Therapists, Robin Schlosser, Aubree Henton, and Melissa Lusby presented a symposium on Rehabilitation of Pediatric Patients on Ventricular Assist Devices including the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration. Also, Rehabilitation Services, the Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit, and the Heart Transplant Program had an abstract accepted for poster presentation. See below to read more about the abstract and poster presentation.

The ACRM is an international organization of rehabilitation professionals dedicated to serving people with disabling conditions by supporting research that promotes health, independence, productivity, and quality of life, as well as meets the needs of rehabilitation clinicians and people with disabilities. The organization is the only professional association representing all members of the interdisciplinary rehabilitation team, including: physicians, psychologists, rehabilitation nurses, occupational therapists, physical therapists, speech therapists, recreation specialists, case managers, rehabilitation counselors, vocational counselors, and disability management specialists.

Abstract/poster presentations:

Niedzwecki, C., Wolfe, R., Giovannetti, B., and Baize, C. (2015). Interdisciplinary Collaboration Utilizing a Communication Framework. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 96(10), e109.

Dragojlovic, N., Wirt, Z., and Niedzwecki, C. (2015). Acute Inpatient Rehabilitation in Children with Recent Posterior Fossa Tumor Resection: A Case Series. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 96(10), e28.

Vakharia, M., Niedzwecki, C., Schlosser, R. R., Denfield, S., Dreyer, W. J., Jeewa, A., and Majeski, T. (2015). Inpatient Rehabilitation in Pediatric Cardiac Transplant Recipients. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 96(10), e61.

Schneider, N., Steinberg, D. M., Grosch, M., Niedzwecki, C., and Cline, V. (2015). Informing Inpatient Rehabilitation Patients of Traumatic Loss: Factors Influencing Provider Decision-Making. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 96(10), e74.

Vakharia, M., Jea, A., Lam, S., & Niedzwecki, C. (2015). Acute Spinal Cord Injury Associated with Multi-level Pediatric Idiopathic or Inflammatory Intervertebral Disc Calcification (PIIVDC). Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 96(10), e56.

Candia, L., Brown, R., Nowak, A., Hawney, J. C., Hagan, J., Muscal, E., and Niedzwecki, C. (2015). Acute Pediatric Inpatient Rehabilitation in Children with Anti-NMDA Receptor Encephalitis. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 96(10), e80.

Niedzwecki, C., Christopher, D., Westfall, M. J., Naik-Mathuria, B., Macias, C. G., and Schwabe, A. (2015). Augmenting Inpatient Rehabilitation Services for Children with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 96(10), e109.

Mullen, J., McKechnie, K., Niedzwecki, C., Baize, C., Gammon, S., Giovannetti, B. and Young, A. (2015). Stoplight Mobility Alert System (SMAS): Communication of Mobility Status for Falls Prevention. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 96(10), e34.

Niedzwecki, C., Hagan, J., McKechnie, K., Brown, R., Lathem, P., Head, J., and Walden, M. (2015). Impact of Animal Assisted Therapy on Mobility in Children Undergoing Acute Pediatric Inpatient Rehabilitation. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 96(10), e55.
Talks:
Niedzwecki C., Shah M. (2015, October). Delivering High Quality Cancer Rehabilitation Care to Children with Hematologic/Oncologic Diagnoses: A Paradigm of Co-Management. Symposium, American College of Rehabilitation Medicine, Dallas.

Niedzwecki C., Lathem P., Hesselgrave J. (2015, October) Delivering High Quality Cancer Rehabilitation Care to Children with Hematologic/Oncologic Diagnoses: Bridging Services. Symposium, American College of Rehabilitation Medicine, Dallas.
Poster/Abstract presentations:
Schlosser R., Lusby M., Henton A. (2015, October) The Role of Therapy Services in the Rehabilitation of Pediatric Patients on Ventricular Assist Devices. Symposium, American College of Rehabilitation Medicine, Dallas.

Vakharia, M., Niedzwecki, C., Schlosser, R., Denfield, S., Dreyer, W., Jeewa, A., and Majeski, T. (2015). Inpatient Rehabilitation in Pediatric Cardiac Transplant Recipients. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 96(10), e61.