World Head Injury day observed at St. John’s

To mark World Head Injury Day, a team of doctors, nurses and nurse practitioners at St. John’s Medical College Hospital’s Surgical and Neuro Intensive Care Unit came together on recently to shed light on the grave consequences of neglecting road safety. 

To mark World Head Injury Day, a team of doctors, nurses and nurse practitioners at St. John’s Medical College Hospital’s Surgical and Neuro Intensive Care Unit came together on recently to shed light on the grave consequences of neglecting road safety. 

The event with the theme “Restoring Lives, One Patient at a Time” included poster competitions, skits, and mime acts that depicted the importance of adhering to government-led initiatives aimed at preventing head injuries.

According to a press release, the event utilised art and drama to penetrate the public psyche, making the complex medical subject of head injury not only accessible but also relatable. Live demonstrations illustrated the journey of head injury patients, from the moment of trauma to the intricate process of recovery within hospital walls, thereby emphasizing the crucial role of immediate and skilled medical intervention.

Experts in head injury management - David K. Menon,  Director of Research at the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom and Uma Maheshwar Rao, a retired senior professor from NIMHANS, spoke on tailoring therapy to individual needs in traumatic brain injury (TBI) cases. The highlight was the call to action for everyone to take a pledge for road safety. 

While Professor Menon spoke about ‘Multi Modal Monitoring’ in TBI, Dr. Rao shared anecdotes from his 40-year clinical experience as a neurocritical care consultant at NIMHANS. He quoted several interesting cases he had come across and shared the lessons learned.

Both clinicians also spoke on how to manage TBI in an Indian context to an audience consisting of intensive care physicians, emergency physicians and researchers from across the country. They offered advice on managing TBI cases in both tertiary care hospitals and resource limited settings. They also emphasised the need to provide holistic care to neuro-critical care patients not just from the clinical aspect but also from the social and psychological perspective.