From the President and Secretary General

It was wonderful to see many of you at the recent WCPT General Meeting and Congress in Amsterdam. The General Meeting was the largest ever, with 94 of our 106 member organisations in attendance and participating in decisions affecting the profession globally, including the adoption of a range of new policy documents. We also celebrated the 60th anniversary of WCPT at a Gala Dinner on the 19th June and recognised individual physical therapists who have made an outstanding contribution to the profession around the world. Watch for photographs and reports from the meeting on the WCPT website and the upcoming issue of WCPT News. Over 5000 physical therapists attended the congress to present the latest research, discuss professional issues and visit the exhibition. Thank you to delegates, presenters, speakers, chairs, reviewers, volunteers, exhibitors and sponsors for your invaluable contribution and for making World Physical Therapy 2011 a true celebration of the profession.

Kind regards

Marilyn Moffat and Brenda J Myers

If you would like to use all or part of this e-letter for your own newsletters/websites then please feel free. We need your assistance to reach the profession around the world, so please send this e-update to your members.

WORLD PHYSICAL THERAPY DAY

It is time again to start planning your activities to celebrate World Physical Therapy Day on 8th September. The day offers a crucial opportunity for physical therapists from all over the world to raise awareness about the essential contribution our profession makes to keeping people well, mobile and independent.

This year, we are providing extra materials that will help you focus on physical therapy and non-communicable disease. New resources include:

• the role of physical therapy in cancer
• article from the WCPT President on non-communicable disease
• quotations from the WCPT President on non-communicable disease

As in the three previous years, the theme for World Physical Therapy Day 2011 is Movement for Health. As before, we are providing both practical advice (on organising activities and publicising your message) and information and articles that you can use as part of your activities. 

All are available to download free from the WCPT website at www.wcpt.org/node/28728.

During World Physical Therapy 2011 a seminar was held on World Physical Therapy Day. Interesting discussions were held on how the day might evolve and the significant impact it has had in some countries. If you have any suggestions please email Tato adresa je chráněna proti spamování, pro její zobrazení potřebujete mít Java scripty povoleny .

WCPT 60TH ANNIVERSARY PUBLICATION

Published to coincide with WCPT's 17th General Meeting in Amsterdam, this report includes a review of WCPT's achievements over the past four years and over the 60 years since it was established. It includes information about the work and aspirations of WCPT today in the context of its history and growth.

Read it in PDF format now at www.wcpt.org/node/27528.

WORLD REPORT ON DISABILITY

On 9th June the World Health Organization (WHO) launched the World report on disability.

It is available for free download from the WHO website at www.who.int/disabilities/world_report/2011/report/en/. The summary report is also available in all UN languages, in Braille formatted copy, in accessible PDF and in EasyRead. 

WHO COURSES: VIOLENCE AND INJURY PREVENTION

WHO has recently released a new series of short courses on violence and injury providing a complete training resource for facilitators around the world. Each course addresses a specific injury or violence area and is designed to be delivered over 2-5 days. These "trainings in a box" can be downloaded from the WHO website free of charge. Courses currently available for download are:

• child maltreatment prevention
• intimate partner and sexual violence prevention
• trauma care system planning and management
• trauma care quality improvement

Each short course follows the same modular format and contains: a facilitator's guide to orient the facilitator to the material; training modules which include PowerPoint presentations and notes for facilitators; and supporting resources such as handouts and case studies. The courses are based on a wide range of WHO materials and additional courses will be developed in the future.

To download course materials, visit www.who.int/violence_injury_prevention/capacitybuilding/courses/en/index.html. 

ICF

For those interested in the ICF, there is a series of papers available based on presentations originally given at What is disability? UN convention on the rights of persons with disability, eligibility criteria and the International Classification of Functioning Disability and Health in Rome in April 2010. The papers are available at www.biomedcentral.com/bmcpublichealth/11?issue=S4

DISASTER APPEALS

WCPT has set up a web page to assist member organisations in their efforts to raise funds to support physical therapists affected by recent natural disasters. Details of the appeals of Physiotherapy New Zealand and the Japan Physical Therapy Association are available at www.wcpt.org/node/40764.  

EDUCATA: FREE ARTICLES

Recent free peer-reviewed articles from Educata, a WCPT partner providing online continuing education, are now available for download via the WCPT website:

Critical analysis of vestibular rehabilitation outcome according to dizziness etiology by Bittar RS, Pedalini ME, Ramalho JO, Yoshimura R. Made available by SciELO org. Braz J Otorhinolaryngol. 2007 Nov-Dec;73(6):760-4. This study evaluated VR outcomes between patients according to dizziness etiology.

Applied biomechanics of swimming by Pink MM, Edelman GT, Mark R, Rodeo SA. In: Magee DJ, Manske RC, Zachazewski JE, Quillen WS, ed. Athletic and Sport Issues in Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation, 2nd ed. Philadelphia, PA: WB Saunders; 2011:331-49. This chapter provides an opportunity to describe the specific biomechanics of swimming as they relate to the clinician.

Reliability of procedures used in the physical examination of non-specific low back pain: a systematic review by May S, Littlewood C, Bishop A. This study analyses the quality of research on low back pain and assesses the reliability of different types of physical examination procedures used in the assessment of patients with non-specific low back pain.

To download these articles go to www.wcpt.org/node/29540.

OPEN ACCESS AFRICA CONFERENCE

BioMed Central will hold the second Open Access Africa conference at Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS), Tanzania in partnership with Computer Aid International. The free conference, which will discuss open access in an African context, takes place 25-26 October 2011 during International Open Access Week. Complementing the objectives of the conference, they have launched a free Foundation Membership and an Open Access Package for university libraries across low-income countries that qualify for our waiver fund.

Email  Tato adresa je chráněna proti spamování, pro její zobrazení potřebujete mít Java scripty povoleny to register your interest in Open Access Africa.

OPPORTUNITY FOR EDUCATORS IN SRI LANKA

The school of physiotherapy in Sri Lanka is seeking lecturers for its new BSc programme. There are currently three cohorts in the programme and there is a shortage of qualified lecturers.  If any person, organisation or university is interested in assisting, at least until the first cohort graduates, please contact Amara Dhamayanthi at  Tato adresa je chráněna proti spamování, pro její zobrazení potřebujete mít Java scripty povoleny .