Physiopedia’s work towards developing tools for strengthening the rehabilitation workforce has been recognised internationally and will be presented in symposium sessions at both the World Physiotherapy (WP) and International Society of Prosthetics and Orthotics (ISPO) conferences in 2023.
Since joining the ReLAB-HS project to integrate rehabilitation into health systems, the team at Physiopedia (TeamPP) have been working hard on activities towards strengthening the rehabilitation workforce, a key component of any effective health system.
Activities to date have included a global investigation into rehabilitation workforce challenges, professional standards and education curriculum mapping, and pilot implementation of a new International Rehabilitation Education and Training Toolkit (IRETT).
In June in Dubai at the WP conference, led by physiotherapist Dr Cheryl Footer, the international team will share the work done to develop an education framework that reviewed, compared, and contrasted education strategies and expectations across rehabilitation professions. The process was informed by survey and interview data and a review of over 200 documents representing different rehabilitation professions around the world, including standards of practice, standards of education, professional competencies, curricular plans, and course syllabi.
At the ISPO conference in Mexico in April, led by Prosthetist and Orthotist Martina Lukin, the interprofessional team will explore the opportunities and benefits of multidisciplinary learning across rehabilitation professions including PO, Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy and Speech and Language Pathology and introduce a world where rehabilitation providers learn alongside each other in the classroom and in clinical practice, sharing knowledge and resources and drawing upon the distinctive skills connected with their unique professions in person-centered care.
We will have exhibition stands at both conferences that provide us with an easy space to meet, talk and share with colleagues and the Physiopedia family from all over the world. Hope to see you there, come and chat over a coffee with us!
This work is supported by the USAID funded Learning Acting Building for Rehabilitation in Health Systems (ReLAB-HS) project and is not possible without the generous and committed contribution of the Leahy War Victims fund.
ReLAB-HS is made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and is implemented under cooperative agreement number 7200AA20CA00033. The consortium is managed by prime recipient, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.