Care of spinal cord injury in non-specialist settings.

Patient with spinal cord injuries have individualised care routines to help prevent complications. Disruption to these routines following admission to non-specialist settings can have long-term consequences. This article focuses on the key long-term problems of pressure ulcers, bladder and bowel dysfunction, and autonomic dysreflexia. Nurses working on general wards need to consider how to manage these problems when caring for patients with spinal cord injury.