Physio findings: WCPT Congress and charitable trust awards

CSP members presented their work to the world this month. Some 150 UK physiotherapists attended the congress of the World Confederation for Physical Therapy held in Singapore, many of them giving presentations, displaying their work in poster form or taking part in debates. Topics covered included professional issues, policy and management as well as clinical research.

 

In addition to the CSP team of staff and officials, 10 CSP members were there to present papers, funded by the society’s charitable trust. 

 

Research was presented by CSP assistant director Sue Hayward-Giles, director of practice and development Natalie Beswetherick, international adviser Birgit Mueller-Winkler, professional advisers Ruth ten Hove and Stuart Palma, council member and Keele University lecturer Jonathan Hill and his colleague Jackie Waterfield.

 

The CSP team played a significant role in the event. CSP treasurer Helena Johnson chaired the WCPT futures forum while chief executive Karen Middleton, Ms Beswetherick, CSP fellow Ann Green, Dr Hill, professional adviser Ralph Hammond and Dr Johnson chaired or facilitated sessions and took part in panel debates.

 

For full details, see the WCPT 2015 Congress programme.

Two out of three pregnant women have lower back pain but few receive any treatment, said Jackie Waterfield of Keele University. The Ease Back (evaluating acupuncture and standard care for pregnant women with back pain) project has found that many physios are reluctant to use acupuncture in pregnancy, even though it has proved helpful. Some are deterred by a culture of caution, especially around inducing early labour and the risk of litigation. 

CSP professional adviser Ruth ten Hove told congress about a review of rehabilitation pathways for hip fracture and knee replacement. It found inadequate funding and widespread variation in practice and outcomes. Yet it showed that well-designed and funded physiotherapy services provide excellent rehabilitation. The results were used in the British Orthopaedic Association’s national review. 

Worldwide physiotherapy practice may be enhanced by the introduction of prescribing rights in key clinical pathways, CSP director Natalie Beswetherick told the international audience. But physiotherapists need to make a robust case for a change in legislation. The UK achieved the right to prescribe independently after showing that this could safely improve clinical effectiveness and patient satisfaction. 

Professor Nadine Foster convened a symposium on stratified care for lower back pain, with an international panel including Jonathan Hill of Keele University.

 

Stratified care categorises patients into groups, on the basis of characteristics such as underlying mechanisms or likely response, and fast-tracks them  to the treatment that’s most  likely to work for them.

 

Different approaches developed in the UK, Australia and the US all look promising. But none has yet attempted to subgroup patients across the whole spectrum of physical, pharmacological and surgical treatments. Panellists warned of challenges ahead, to ensure that future care is based on good evidence and to avoid confusion in clinical practice.

Ten CSP members each won £1,000 Robert Williams awards from the CSP’s charitable trust, helping them to present their research in Singapore.