A radical new adventure in physiotherapy research publication was launched last week. The OpenPhysio journal is the brainchild of A/Prof Michael Rowe, CPN Exec member and lecturer at the University of the Western Cape in South Africa. Supported by Physio-pedia, the journal is different to any journal you have probably ever seen before. Research is published immediately, with no delay for administration or peer approval. Peer review is open to everyone and all feedback is collaborative. Responses are published alongside the finished article and represent their own citable intellectual property. There are no page fees and you retain copyright. Articles can include a … [Read more...] about A revolution in physiotherapy publishing
Professional Codes of Practice – can we (or Kant we) rely on them?!
This is the second post from Cath Cruse-Drew. It strikes me that at its root, Physiotherapy codes of practice in the UK contain more than a passing resemblance to Kantian moral theory. http://www.csp.org.uk/publications/code-members-professional-values-behaviour Adhering to a rule-based code, the principles governing our practice underline the obligation to observe laws and regulation, to take responsibility, and therefore to be accountable for one’s actions in the expression of one’s duty of care; to act with integrity, honesty and openness (do not lie); to respect and support individual’s autonomy (dignity) and to strive for excellence. The code is necessarily abstract, but … [Read more...] about Professional Codes of Practice – can we (or Kant we) rely on them?!
Physiotherapie beurteilen
This German translation of the article 'Judging physiotherapy' posted earlier this week, was kindly produced by CPN member Filip Maric. WCPT-Präsident Emma Stokes, Professor Peter O'Sullivan und andere haben sich diese Woche in einer Twitter-Diskussion damit auseinandergesetzt wie man in der Physiotherapie eine Kultur schaffen könnte die Wandel und Veränderung pflegt und fördert (siehe @ekstokes twitter feed für den 29. Mai). Die Idee von ‘Raum ohne Urteil’ wurde als eine positivere Herangehensweise zu Veränderung vorgeschlagen, als die häufiger übliche gegenseite Kritik unter Physiotherapeuten auf eine abwertende Art und Weise (@karenlitzyNYC, 29. Mai). Ein paar Tage zuvor … [Read more...] about Physiotherapie beurteilen
Judging physiotherapy
WCPT President Emma Stokes, Professor Peter O'Sullivan and others have been engaged this week in a Twitter discussion about how to create a culture in physiotherapy that nurtures change (see @ekstokes twitter feed for 29th May). The idea of 'space without judgement' was suggested as a more positive approach to change than physiotherapists perpetually 'bashing each other' (@karenlitzyNYC, 29 May). A few days earlier, Laura Opstedal had written about Letting go of traditions in physical therapy, arguing that resistance to change was a big barrier to progress, and that exploring 'the new' might be a creative way to proceed. This post followed nicely on from Roger Kerry's piece … [Read more...] about Judging physiotherapy
Creativity in physiotherapy
Anyone who lives with, knows, or has trained as an artist will be painfully aware of how lacking in creativity a lot of physiotherapy education and practice is. My brother is a photographer and a teacher, and I am frequently reminded of how differently he responds to things. Where he often thinks like an artist, I often default to the kinds of design-thinking that Grace Jeffers talks about when she says that "Design thinking is about solving a problem, but art thinking is about feeling your way to a solution" (link). It's not that there's anything particularly wrong with the way physiotherapists are trained to think - there's certainly a lot to be said for the kinds of deductive … [Read more...] about Creativity in physiotherapy
All feedback is projection
I spend a lot of my time at the university these days working with psychologists and psychotherapists, and one of the things I am always struck by is how much of what they learn could be applied to other healthcare practices, especially professions like physiotherapy. The quote in the title; 'All feedback is projection', for example, was told to me by a psychotherapy colleague who was explaining how it is that people will give you feedback from their own perspective but, more often than not, what they're really doing is projecting their own values and beliefs and its not ever entirely about you. I've thought about that a lot when I've reflected on the advice I've been given by people … [Read more...] about All feedback is projection
There is no ‘you’ in physiotherapy
Cast your mind back to your days as a physiotherapy student. Did any of your lecturers ever change what or how they were taught based on the personalities of the people in the class? Was the subject of the session changed from the lesson plan to reflect an individual or group's cultural beliefs and values? My suspicion is probably not, or if it did happen, it didn't happen much when you were learning anatomy, physiology, pathology, kinesiology, biomechanics, assessment or treatment techniques, research methods, or any of the other 'core' subjects in the physiotherapy curriculum. I once shared an office with a lecturer who had very devout faith, and I often wondered how she reconciled … [Read more...] about There is no ‘you’ in physiotherapy