ISCoS launches guide on spinal injury, a text book on spinal injury management in India

The textbook compiles works of 184 contributing authors from 25 countries. It aims to present the global scenario by including perspectives on spinal injury management as a team approach from multiple countries and regions

The ‘ISCoS textbook on Comprehensive Management of Spinal Cord Injuries’ was launched by the International Spinal Cord Society (ISCoS) recently. It was an initiative to compile comprehensive, balanced and multi-disciplinary resource book on spinal injury management. The book was launched in India by Thawar Chand Gehlot, Union Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment Government of India, during the inaugural ceremony of the 15th annual conference of Spinal Cord Society, ‘ISSICON 2015’ at New Delhi recently, in the presence of Lov Verma, Secretary, Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment Government of India; Awanish K Awasthi, Joint Secretary, Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India; Dr JJ Wyndaele, President ISCoS, Maj HPS Ahluwalia, Chairman, Indian Spinal Injuries Centre (ISIC) and Dr AK Mukherjee, President, Spinal Cord Society.

Reportedly, the ISCoS textbook on Comprehensive Management of Spinal Cord Injuries is aimed at fulfilling the need for a comprehensive resource addressing management of spinal cord injury (SCI) as a team-based approach. Dr Harvinder Singh Chhabra, Medical Director & Chief of Spine Service of the Indian Spinal Injuries Centre has helmed the effort as the Editor-in-Chief of the carefully selected works of 184 contributing authors from as many as 25 different countries.

With a view to ensure that the book represents a global scenario, and not just the prevalent expert discourse in the developed world, a separate chapter on ‘Challenges of Management in Less and Least Developed Countries’ has been added to highlight the difficulties of the less resourced and the solutions to overcome them.

“When it comes to making lives better for people with spinal cord injuries there is a substantial gap between ‘the possible’ and the ‘actually available’. A wide variety of different injury management approaches are practiced in different parts of the world, which may not be adequately shared with healthcare professionals elsewhere. At the same time, a large amount of information and expertise remains unavailable to healthcare professionals in many regions. The textbook aims to compile the latest best practices and approaches being followed by doctors, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, orthotists, assistive technologists, and counsellors across the world with an objective of making a comprehensive guide available to people everywhere,” says Dr Chhabra.

The textbook is a comprehensive guide containing information for all disciplines involved in SCI management including doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, orthotists, assistive technologists, vocational counselors, psychologists, social workers, and peer counsellors, with additional information for doctors. The textbook has various new topics which are not covered in the currently available textbooks including Assistive Technology, Pre-discharge Planning, Nutritional Management, Outcome Measures, Challenges of Management in Less and Least Developed Countries, Neglected Spinal Cord Injuries, Translational Research, Issues Specific to Women, Empowerment, Legislation and Rights of Persons with Disability, Vocational Rehabilitation, SCI in Complex Emergency Situations, Geriatric Spinal Cord Injuries, Active Rehabilitation, Concomitant Diagnosis: Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury and Traumatic Brain Injury, Associated Injuries, and Poly-trauma. 24 of the 82 chapters in the textbook have been contributed by Indian authors, including seven by Dr Chhabra himself as the first author and six as co -author.

A simple and comprehensible presentation has been ensured to help all disciplines to easily assimilate the knowledge. Appropriate use of illustrations and figures has further made the content user friendly. The availability of the online version of the textbook is expected to help the readers since the two will morph with each other such that indexing, searching, and grasping the entire domain of the topic becomes a lot easier.

The entire work for coordination and administrative support of the project took place from Indian Spinal Injuries Centre. The ISIC Editorial team comprising 21 experts contributed to the textbook.

The textbook represents ISCoS desire to bridge the gap in professional development opportunities for health professionals involved in SCI management. It will hopefully be able to meet the requirements of the reader.