The 9th ILF conference was held in the vibrant and exciting environment of downtown Chicago, USA. This was the first time the conference was held in the United States.
The conference ethos was multidisciplinary and patient focused with an emphasis on improving lymphoedema outcomes through innovation and collaboration. It included presentations from experts across a wide range of specialties, including lymphology, genetics, pathology, oncology, dermatology, surgery, imaging, psychology and wound care.
Four members from NLFI attended the conference. As well as attending the presentations which were being delivered, there were specific meetings which NLFI members participated in: Chronic Oedema Outcome Measurement, Genital Oedema Management and the general National Frameworks meeting. NLFI also presented a poster, which summarized the detail and outcome of the Children’s Camp which NLFI hosted in 2018.
It was great to have Irish presence on this international stage when NLFI member Meadbh McSweeney presented her research the “The Development of Key Performance Indicators using the Delphi Technique for a Regional Lymphoedema Service in Ireland”. The KPI s were subsequently validated with a pilot study at University Hospital Limerick (UHL) in 2019.