Realizing the Value of Nursing Through Innovative Regulation.

Nursing regulation is a specialty area of nursing practice that some may perceive as only performing licensing and disciplinary functions. However, highly effective boards strive to meet their mission of public protection through continuous innovation. This article describes several innovative programs initiated by a board of nursing. Among the examples include regulatory waivers during the pandemic, collaborations with stakeholder organizations, a resource for nursing peer-review committees, and an alternative remediation option for practice breakdown. With strong leadership and committed teams, regulation can both protect the public and play a part in actualizing the value of nursing.

Recovery of Over-Ground Walking after Chronic Motor Complete Spinal Cord Injury.

Persons with motor complete spinal cord injury, signifying no voluntary movement or sphincter function below the level of injury but including retention of some sensation, do not recover independent walking. We tested intense locomotor treadmill training with weight support and simultaneous spinal cord epidural stimulation in four patients 2.5 to 3.3 years after traumatic spinal injury and after failure to improve with locomotor training alone. Two patients, one with damage to the mid-cervical region and one with damage to the high-thoracic region, achieved over-ground walking (not on a treadmill) after 278 sessions of epidural stimulation and gait training over a period of 85 weeks and 81 sessions over a period of 15 weeks, respectively, and all four achieved independent standing and trunk stability. One patient had a hip fracture during training. (Funded by the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust and others; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT02339233 .).