Busy clinicians may not have sufficient opportunity or time to stay current with recently published research studies related to lymphedema diagnosis, treatment and management. This session will present evidence based studies published since the last NLN conference in 2008. Focus of the session will pertain to papers related to lymphedema diagnosis, treatment and management. The format will incorporate a brief literature review highlighting objectives, methods, data, results, and conclusions, as well as discussion of relevance, strengths, biases and opportunities for further research. Topics will include advances in clinical assessment; medical management of lymphedema including surgical intervention and medications; clinical interventions designed to improve lymphatic function; self-care, adherence, and quality of life. Studies investigating exercise and activity related to lymphedema response will also be reviewed. Topics will be updated as new literature is published.
Participants will:
- Develop an awareness of the elements of evidence based lymphedema research
- Gain knowledge of topics recently published in the lymphedema literature
- Be able to discuss pertinent lymphedema research findings with peers and patients
- Understand the strengths and weaknesses in the evidence based lymphedema literature
- Appreciate the potential impact of published studies on clinical diagnosis, treatment, and lymphedema care models
- Develop an understanding of lymphedema research needs moving forward
- Be able to utilize published findings in decision making regarding clinical assessment, treatment, and patient self care