After the highly successful 2018 OPSYRIS meeting in Glasgow, the next host was the highly prestigious University of Oxford. The meeting took place in Saint Anne’s College on Friday the 4th of October.
A highlights of the meeting was the talk from keynote speaker Professor Sarah Pendlebury from the host University renowned for her work on clinical neuroscience, geratology and stroke prevention.
As with previous OPSYRIS meetings, talks covered a broad range of topics. These included cognitive screening, spacial memory after stroke, prioritising actions for post stroke survivors, screening for visual perception deficits, brain network degeneration, support for carers of stroke survivors, psychoeducation, post-stroke insomnia, reading impairments, rehabilitation and befriending for people with aphasia, ocupational therapy and several others.
As with oral presentations, posters covered a wide range of topics. These included rehabilitation tools and strategies for discharged stroke victims, aceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) for psychological distress after stroke, feasibility and pilot testing, depression in caregivers, returning to work after stroke, spatial neglect, the effect of brain training on blood flow, associations between physical activity, sedentary behaviour and cognitive function among others. Several researchers from the host university contributed as well as those from Imperial College and King’s College, Glasgow, Cardiff, Lancaster, Manchester, Nottingham, Aga Khan (Pakistan) and East Anglia Universities.
On what is becoming a highlight of OPSYRIS meetings, the rising star prize was this time nominated by OPSYRIS members. It was awarded to Dr Niamh Merriman from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI). She has made important contributions on interventions improving the outcomes of patients with post stroke cognitive impairment.
Another feature making a welcome return from last year was the “how to…” sessions. This year they focussed on Patient, Carer and Public Involvement (PCPI) and prioritisation of Cochrane reviews. Following feedback from last years meeting, we also added sessions on implemented innovation in clinical service.
After the meeting, OPSYRIS members looked forward to the next meeting due to be held at the University of East Anglia, Norwich. Until then, many of the speakers have thankfully shared their work and can be found on the shared drive for the Oxford 2019 OPSYRIS meeting.