On April 8, Department of Neurology Chairman Dr. Anish Bhardwaj welcomed nearly 200 practicing clinical nurses to “Neuro Nurses’ Day” – a day-long conference covering the latest in neurology, neurocritical care and clinical neuroscience in clinical practices.
The conference took place in the historical Old Red Amphitheater, a classroom where 23 students and 13 faculty members began the UTMB legacy to advance health care and research nearly 125 years ago. Donna Sollenberger, executive vice president and chief executive officer for UTMB’s Health System, said it was the perfect setting for the conference.
“It’s with this pioneering spirit in mind that we reaffirm our commitment to achieve the highest standards of care for our patients with neurological injuries,” said Sollenberger. “Today we can work together to really try to increase our collaboration, expand our educational focus, explore ways to better share information with each other and with our patients and be the advocate for them – and do all that while providing the best care.”
Bhardwaj said trained neuro nurses play a pivotal role in the collaborative model of providing clinical care to patients with neurological conditions such as stroke, subarachnoid hemorrhage, traumatic brain injury, brain tumors, encephalitis, seizures, neuromuscular diseases and spinal cord disorders.
“Serial neurological assessments by neuro nurses on these patients is critical in recognizing disease progression and taking diagnostic or therapeutic actions in a timely manner in order to prevent irreversible neurological injury,” said Bhardwaj, who gave two presentations throughout the day, including a historical perspective and future outlook of neurocritical care.
He mentioned the opening of the Jennie Sealy Hospital, which will have a 16-bed state-of-the-art neuroscience critical care unit that will provide high-quality primary as well as tertiary care to critically ill neurological and neurosurgical patients.
Several presenters were from UTMB, including Dr. Glenn Smith, vice chairman for clinical affairs and neurology professor; Dr. Todd Masel, director of UTMB’s Epilepsy Program; Dr. Joel Patterson, chairman of the Division of Neurosurgery; Dr. Juan Ramon Ortega-Barnett, assistant professor of neurosurgery; Dr. Venkata Dandamudi, assistant professor for neurology and radiology; Dr. Stephen Busby, director of UTMB’s Stroke Services; Dr. Alok Dabi, assistant professor of neurology; as well as others from around the state. They all provided the latest evidence-based approaches to diagnosis and treatment, including nursing management of major neurological conditions. Gail Biba, nurse manager from the neurocritical care unit at Johns Hopkins Hospital, gave the keynote address.