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Lymphoedema Open Evening at University Hospital Limerick

A FREE open evening on lymphoedema support services available at University Hospital Limerick will take place next Wednesday, February 19th, 5pm-6.30pm, in UHL’s Clinical Education and Research Centre (CERC).

At the open evening, there will be a series of presentations on UHL’s dedicated Lymphoedema Service and unique research recently undertaken with the aim of improving patient support in line with recommended best practice.

Secondary lymphoedema is commonly caused by damage to the lymphatic system through infection, injury, trauma or as a result of cancer or cancer treatment, including surgery or radiotherapy.

The panel of lymphoedema experts in attendance at the event includes Lymphoedema Nurse Specialists, Breastcare Liaison Nurses, and Breast Surgeons. Leading the panel is Meadbh MacSweeney, Director of The Lymph Clinic in Cork, who has worked extensively with public patients at UHL since 2008.

Karen O’Sullivan, Lymphoedema Nurse Specialist, who is taking over the clinical running of the service from Meadbh, will deliver a presentation on the UHL Lymphoedema Services, and Patricia Sutton, MLD Therapist and volunteer with the Mid West Cancer Support centre, will speak about the education workshops in patient lymphoedema available at UHL.

Maria Keane, manager of the UHL Cancer Support Centre, will outline the centre’s full range of services and supports available for breast cancer patients, and there will also be a presentation from one of the resident specialist breast surgeons.

Meadbh MacSweeney will discuss the development and testing of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to help service providers identify the successes of the UHL lymphoedema service, the challenges facing it, and the areas requiring further research. Colette Cunningham from University College Cork will explore how the KPIs in patient meetings have helped to set new service standards in line with best practice.

The evening will conclude with an open forum, where there will be an opportunity for patients attending to ask questions of the expert panellists.

All are welcome to the event on Wednesday February 19th, which is preceded by tea/coffee in the CERC from 4.30pm ahead of the 5pm start. For details, contact Maria Keane at the UHL Cancer Support Centre on 061-485163.