Discussion panels

What does advanced practice mean for physical therapy and patient care?

Chair: Jon Warren (New Zealand)

Panel members: Peter Fazey (Australia), Alice Aiken (Canada), Sue Greenhalgh (United Kingdom), Bhanu Ramaswamy (United Kingdom), Haejung Lee (Korea)

At the policy summit on Advanced scope of practice and direct access in physical therapy held in Washington in 2009 it was apparent that the term advanced practice is not interpreted in the same way across all countries and WCPT regions. This panel will investigate the meaning of advanced practice; the factors that affect the development of advanced practitioners and the implications for service delivery, educational programmes and regulation of the profession.

Re-building for good: how physical therapy projects can bring long-term sustainable benefits in conflict zones and disaster areas

Chair: Theo Verhoeff (Switzerland)

Panel members: David Charles (Haiti), Shaun Cleaver (Canada), Najmuddin Helal (Afghanistan), Nancy Kelly (United States of America), Chiara Retis (France)

Once the media images fade from memory and emergency services disappear, those living in disaster and/or (post-) conflict zones continue to live with physical and psychological trauma. Physical therapists are needed in all phases of management, but never more than in the establishment and running of sustainable services for those injured as a result of disasters/conflicts. The panel will explore the nature of physical therapy at times of conflict and disaster and discuss the development of sustainable services.

The bigger picture: how physical therapists can bring change to health policy and service provision

Chair: Brenda J Myers (WCPT Secretariat)

Panel members: Natalie Beswetherick (United Kingdom), Andrea Cann (Bermuda), Jonathon Kruger (Australia), Kanda Chaipinyo (Thailand), Bridget Birabi (Nigeria)

This panel will explore the ways in which the profession can work to effectively influence health policy and service provision. Using examples and experiences from around the world, the role of physical therapists as advocates for the profession whether at individual or organisational level, will be explored.

Promoting health, preventing disability: are physical therapists playing their part?

Chair: Anders Raustorp (Sweden)

Panel members: Nicola Hunter (United Kingdom), Jennifer Bottomley (United States of America), Andrea Backović Juričan (Slovenia), Donna Bainbridge (United States of America), Dele Amosun (South Africa)

This panel will address the role of physical therapists in broad based health promotion programmes, sometimes known as public health or wellness programmes. Screening for disabilities, healthy lifestyle promotion and injury prevention, identification and management of factors affecting health status and measures to prevent disability associated with chronic diseases are all part of a physical therapist’s skill set. What is the current scope of physical therapist involvement in such programmes and how should this be developed for the future?

Health human resources: factors affecting equitable access to physical therapy in all parts of the world

Chair: Zola Dantile (WCPT Executive Committee)

Panel members: Michel Landry (Canada), Barbara Rau (Switzerland), Amparo Mogollón (Colombia), Saleh Al-Oraibi (Jordan) Kanchan Sangroula (Nepal)

The World Health Organization posed the question of how to build health human resource capacity in its 2006 annual report. This panel will review the current picture of physical therapy workforce and international efforts to redress under servicing and shortage of physical therapists.

Can new information technologies add value to physical therapy practice and outcomes?

Chair: Simon Crompton (WCPT Secretariat)

Panel members: Rachael Lowe (United Kingdom), Neil Pakenham Walsh (United Kingdom), Lisbeth Eriksson (Sweden), Lisa Harvey (Australia) Eugene Mutimura (Rwanda)

In recent years wireless technology and improved battery life have extended the reach of information. Tweeting, blogging, chatting and open source publishing have been added to the resources of email, the internet and mobile phones. How do these technologies and applications affect the availability and quality of information and how can they best be used to benefit the public as well as the profession.

Who benefits from interprofessional education and collaborative practice: the patients, the profession?

Chair: Patty Solomon (Canada)

Panel members: Jill Gamlin (United Kingdom), Lesley Bainbridge (Canada), Israel Cruz (Colombia), Esther Munalula Nkandu (Zambia), Hana Al-Sobayel (Saudi Arabia)

Working in multidisciplinary teams is part of everyday practice for many physical therapists. Is there evidence that interprofessional education and collaborative practice is any better than the way physical therapists have practised in the past? Better for whom? These are some of the questions that this panel will be discussing.

Got to keep our customers satisfied: how do we best assess and use patient satisfaction in physical therapy?

Chair: Emma Stokes (WCPT Executive Committee)

Panel members: Roger Nelson (United States of America), Leonardo Costa (Brazil), Vyvienne M'kumbuzi (Rwanda), Danielle Swain (United Kingdom), Cheryl Cott (Canada), Hans Majong (Netherlands)

Patient/client satisfaction is one of the most important outcomes of physical therapy care, but it is notoriously difficult to assess. This panel will appraise methods of gauging satisfaction and discuss patient/client satisfaction monitoring in different social and cultural contexts. It will also look at how to use the data to make improvements in service delivery and patient experiences.

Investigating what matters: how to meet the challenges of research in the 21st century

Chair: Ann Moore (United Kingdom)

Panel members: Rob de Bie (Netherlands), Elizabeth Dean (Canada), Charlotte Häger (Sweden), Suh-Fang Jeng (Taiwan), Joanne Potterton (South Africa), Monica Pinilla (Colombia)

Panel members will consider trends in global health and the future priorities for physical therapy research. Factors affecting physical therapy research, building research capacity and the role of WCPT and its member organisations in promoting physical therapy research may also be considered.

Capitalising on major sporting events to the benefit of the public and the profession

Chair: Laetitia Dekker-Bakker (Netherlands)

Panel members: Ella Yeung (Hong Kong), Michael Brennan (Canada), Lynn Booth (United Kingdom), Edwenia O'Malley (Ireland), Maria Constantinou (Australia)

Major sporting events draw the attention of the public not only to elite levels of health and fitness but also the impact of injury. Physical therapists are involved with enabling players/athletes to reach the levels of fitness they need to compete at the elite level.  Major sporting events could be an opportunity to promote the profession, but how? This panel will outline the roles and skills of physical therapists in major sporting events and discuss how such events can be used to benefit the whole profession and the public.

Evidence based exercise prescription: raising the standard of delivery

Chair: Marilyn Moffat (WCPT Executive Committee)

Panel members: Stefan Hegenscheidt (Germany), Duncan Reid (New Zealand), Nirit Rotem (Israel), Shamay Ng (Hong Kong), Mark Tremblay (Canada)

Evidence based exercise prescription is a fundamental physical therapy skill, which may be under employed. Is exercise prescription sufficiently prominent in the physical therapy curriculum? Are physical therapy practice environments planned with exercise in mind? How can we ensure that this important form of treatment is available to people who could benefit? These are some of the important questions this panel will discuss.