There's a phrase that I've come to use over and over again in recent years whenever I've presented at conferences or talked to people about the research I do, and I use it because it beautifully encapsulates what I think is perhaps the main problem now facing the physiotherapy profession. It comes from a book written by a New Zealand doctor who is part European and part Māori. His name is Glenn Colquhoun, and he's written some fantastic books about health care, using poetry and prose to express his ideas (see this link to his work). In one slim volume titled 'Jumping Ship,' Colquhoun describes his experience coming to terms with his Māori heritage. He spent a few years in the far … [Read more...] about New: Reflection
New: Greatness
Edgar Cahn was Robert F. Kennedy's speech writer and senior counsel. He is now a professor of law at the University of the District of Columbia. But he is known throughout the world for inventing time banking (see these links 1, 2, 3). The idea of time banking is that people who are dependent on others but are unable to pay them back with money, offer whatever skills and services they have to offer as repayment. In many parts of the world, people have long bartered for goods and services with whatever they had to trade, and time banking works along similar lines. The key thing about time banking is that it values all time equally, so an hour of physical therapy is the same as an … [Read more...] about New: Greatness
New: Looking
'Observation is essential to expertise in medicine, and yet clinical training lacks a standard model for teaching and learning how to look. Interacting with visual art is exactly the kind of practice-based experience that is required to learn to look effectively. Learning to see brings many unexpected benefits: quite literally, opening eyes opens minds. Arts Practica proposes a model for learning observation in the context of art museums to improve quality in the clinic.' This quote comes from 'a medical education consultancy [called Arts Practica, which is] committed to improving healthcare quality, reducing misdiagnosis, and increasing arts engagement (link). Physiotherapy is so much … [Read more...] about New: Looking