Providing SCI education during changing times.
The educational role of the spinal cord injury (SCI) nurse has changed with the ongoing developments in health care. Current statistics show that length of stay during both acute care and rehabilitation has shortened dramatically. This fact, along with new formats for locating and obtaining educational materials, are a few of the challenges that SCI nurses face in providing essential SCI education. The Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Secondary Conditions of SCI, and the Model SCI Care Center at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, produce a number of accessible and affordable SCI educational materials. These materials are available through various electronic formats, including the Internet, e-mail, and fax. SCI nurses can use these resources to provide individuals the information needed to handle their long-term health care needs following their injuries.