There is a moment - a tipping point, you might say - when an opportunity for radical change and bold ideas presents itself. We see this in the turn of the seasons when the long winter slowly unfolds into spring, and after a disaster when people begin to dream again of how their city, town or village might be rebuilt. We see it after personal tragedy too, when hope begins to return, and the merest glimmer of a new life reveals itself. At such moments, a profession like physiotherapy - like all other institutions and organisations - is given an opportunity that only comes after a long period of stability and a period of critical disruption. In this short piece from Jonathan Grant … [Read more...] about Wintertime for physiotherapy
30 Days of September: Day 15
Today's image was suggested by Bruce Greenfield. Click on the image to open it to full size. You can then save it and turn it into a desktop background by following these brief instructions. … [Read more...] about 30 Days of September: Day 15
30 Days of September: Day 12
Today's image was suggested by Jenny Setchell. Click on the image to open it to full size. You can then save it and turn it into a desktop background by following these brief instructions. … [Read more...] about 30 Days of September: Day 12
Will technology make physiotherapy obsolete?
A few weeks ago, I took part in a panel discussion on the theme of 'The university is dead: Long live the university'. The keynote presenter - the very brilliant Professor Jane Gilbert - talked about how technology is going to disrupt every aspect of our lives in the future. Ever since the talk I've been pondering how much technology will disrupt the kinds of physiotherapy people might need in the future. Here are just three examples of disruptive technologies and ways of thinking and working that are due for a shakeup in the very near future: Fact-based technical subjects, like the kinds of science-bases subjects commonly thought of as 'core' subject in physiotherapy (anatomy, … [Read more...] about Will technology make physiotherapy obsolete?
The future for physiotherapy education
Lets assume, for a moment, that only our most modest predictions for the effects of new digital technologies, bodily enhancements, robotic technologies and advances in augmented reality come true, and that lots of our customary ways of thinking and being remain unchanged over the next half century. If we only see a moderate increase in people's use of the Internet as their primary source of health knowledge, and only a few people experience radical changes to their rehabilitation, home care and specialised healthcare, then we are still looking at a significantly different future for physiotherapy than we have today. So what will even some of the most modest changes mean for the … [Read more...] about The future for physiotherapy education
Is there anyone better placed than a physio?
Thank you to everyone who responded to our last post on 10 reasons to love physiotherapy (link). These are strange and unsettling times, and it helps sometimes to be reminded of the good things that we do. This post follows on from last week's, asking the question whether there anyone better placed to take advantage of the changing face of healthcare than physiotherapists. Physiotherapists can sometimes forget how perfectly their skills and abilities line up with what people will want in the future, and we have perhaps been our own worst enemies in ignoring or minimising the power of some of these things in the past. So ask yourself this*: Are doctors better placed than physios … [Read more...] about Is there anyone better placed than a physio?
10 reasons to love physiotherapy
There is quite a lot of pessimism and negativity among healthcare professionals at the moment. Reduced funding, job cuts, professional encroachment and general uncertainties about the future are having a bad effect on people's health and wellbeing. So I thought it might be a good idea to take a moment to remember what makes physiotherapy so great. Not all of these things will be relevant to every physiotherapist, but most will. Physiotherapists: Touch people. Very few people can do this, and almost no others get to touch people for therapeutic reasons. Some touch to perform a procedure, others to care, but few touch to reduce pain, help move or build strength, flexibility and … [Read more...] about 10 reasons to love physiotherapy