May 2010

WCPT has developed a continuing professional development (CPD) survey which is open to all physical therapists at www.surveymonkey.com/s/CN7NYZF.

Provision of quality continuing professional development is an important activity of WCPT and its 101 member organisations. Please help us better understand your CPD needs and interests by completing this short survey. The survey will be open until 28 June.

Thank you for your participation.

Database of experts: WCPT has launched a new service putting together people and organisations that need expert help with physical therapists who are experts in their field. The database is a list of people who are prepared to volunteer their services to help develop the profession internationally.

To find out more about this service and add your details to our database, please go to www.wcpt.org/experts.

Direct access: several resources and new information have been added to the WCPT website on self-referral and direct access to physical therapy at www.wcpt.org/node/34062.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), childhood obesity “is one of the most serious public health challenges of the 21st century“. Following a meeting held in December 2009 to identify priorities for population-based strategies to prevent childhood obesity, WHO have just released Population-based prevention strategies for childhood obesity. WCPT was represented at the meeting by physical therapist Anders Raustorp, an international expert from Sweden. 

The Toronto Charter for Physical Activity: A Global Call for Action was launched on 8 May 2010 at the 3rd International Congress for Physical Activity and Health in Toronto, Canada. The Toronto Charter is a call to all countries to help make physical activity a priority for all. As stakeholders in improving the health and quality of life of individuals through physical activity, physical therapists are encouraged to use the Charter “...as an advocacy tool and to engage with government representatives across all sectors, to secure their role and support in advancing population levels of health enhancing physical activity.”

Further information on obesity and the role of physical therapists as exercise experts is available on the WCPT website at www.wcpt.org/node/33341.

Join the official WCPT page on Facebook and keep up to date with all the latest WCPT news, and events around our forthcoming Congress, World Physical Therapy 2011. Use the discussion page to network with colleagues or post questions you would like us to answer.

Following the success of last month’s free article, Educata have kindly agreed to offer a new free article every month via the WCPT website.

A description of physical therapists’ knowledge in managing musculoskeletal conditions by John D Childs, Julie M Whitman, Phillip S Sizer, Maria L Pugia, Timothy W Flynn and Anthony Delitto is now available at www.wcpt.org/educata.

This article found that experienced physical therapists with specialty training have higher levels of examination knowledge in managing musculoskeletal conditions than other therapists, and higher than all physician specialists except for orthopaedists.

The latest version of the World Health Statistics, a compilation of data from WHO's 193 member states, is now available. The report provides a comprehensive summary of the current status of national health and health systems as well as a summary of progress towards the health-related Millennium Development Goals and targets. It is published in 6 languages, Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish. Go to www.who.int/whosis/whostat/2010.

The 63rd World Health Assembly unanimously passed a resolution to adopt the voluntary WHO global code of practice on the international recruitment of health personnel. With this step, the world's nations acknowledge the global dimension and complexities of the health workforce crisis and the interconnected nature of both the problems and the solutions. The code provides ethical principles applicable to the international recruitment of health personnel in a manner that strengthens the health systems of developing countries.

The draft resolution, dated 20 May 2010, is available at www.who.int

WHO: the tenth issue of the WHO newsletter dedicated to disability and rehabilitation has just been issued. It is available through the DAR website at www.who.int/disabilities/en/.  

UN: the latest issue of the United Nations Enable newsletter is now available at www.un.org//disabilities/.

The Guidelines International Network (G-I-N) Conference will be held 25 - 28 August 2010 in Chicago, USA. G-I-N is an international effort to improve patient care through the development and implementation of clinical practice guidelines. The conference will be of interest to physical therapy researchers, policy makers and practitioners. For more information and registration go to www.gin2010.org.

The 7th Interdisciplinary World Congress on Low Back and Pelvic Pain will take place on 9 -12 November 2010 in Los Angeles, USA. As a non-commercial organisation, the World Congress Series on Low Back and Pelvic Pain was initiated to promote and facilitate interdisciplinary knowledge and consensus on prevention, diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic lumbopelvic pain. The preliminary programme and registration is now available at www.worldcongresslbp.com.