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Focus on Research and Information
Focus on research and information Physiotherapy Research Society Among the difficulties encountered by the steadily increasing number of those w h o are attempting this task is the lack of an organisation dedicated to physiotherapy research. Unlike other professionals such as nurses, general practitioners and medical specialties such as rheumatology, physiotherapists in research have no special body to which they can belong. This concern is not new, and there has for some time now been a growing body of opinion within the profession that the existence of such a society would not only raise the profile of physiotherapy research, hut would also provide evidence t o the outside world of the importance accorded to research bv the profession itself. In response to this, a small steering committee has now been set up, convened by Dr Cecily Partridge, director of the Physiotherapy Research Centre at King's College, London, to establish a Physiotherapy Research Society. She writes: 'Research and learned societies fulfil inany functions. In order to gauge support for the idea of a Physiotherapy Research Society a letter was sent to physiotherapists currently involved in research. A very favourable and enthusiastic response was received, and many points raised for discussion concerning this. The aims and purpose of the society will be debated at the first business meeting, to be held on the Research Presentation Day in April 1992. The following have been
A Parting Shot! As many of you will know, I have devoted a great deal of my time at the CSP to raising the profile of libraries and information within the profession. I know that many of you are concerned about the former lack of an 'information culture' for physiotherapy, and keen to address this issue. I have been fortunate to have carried out this task w i t h information professionals and librarians as well, many of whom have also been very willing t o improve matters. In the past, access to libraries within the National Health Service has often been difficult, and progress has been slow. Present and future changes in arrangements for the funding of such libraries will not necessarily improve matters. It is the professional responsiblity of every working physiotherapist to make sure that access t o an appropriate library is available. I k n o w of only one Region where contracts are in place to ensure that this IS so, and this has been due to the considerable efforts of the Regional librarian, rather thar t o allied health professionals themselves. Dialogue w i t h another Regional librarian has provoked the following response: 'I agree w i t h the statement that library provision [for allied health professionals1 is variable, unco-ordinated and under threat but the professionals themselves have done
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suggested as appropriate:
0 Providing a forum for the discussion of research matters. 0 Providing a voice for researchers within the profession.
0 Organising a prestigious annual meeting which will encourage high standards i r i research and will provide evidence of achievement. The society is concerned to encourage research of a high standard, and hopes to attract a wide membership, including all those interested in research, whether clinicians, managers, or teachers. It will be a national organisation, w i t h annual meetings held at various places in the UK, following the inaugural meeting in London. The level of support that has already come forward for this proposal is evidence from the profession itself that the time is n o w right for the establishment of such a body. It is not intended to be a Specific Interest Group of the CSP, since research transcends specific interests, nor will it take on the role of providing information, which is a CSP function. It is not intended to replace existing regional groups, but, using them as points of contact, t o facilitate and further encourage the growth of a national network of research activity and interest. The inaugural meeting of the Society is therefore planned to be held on April 23, 1992, at the Research Presentation Day little at a national level to improve this situation .' A n Information Resource Centre has this year been established a t the CSP with modest funding but considerable significance in this respect. It is a national resource, and evidence that something is being done. I hope that all of you will watch the development of this centre carefully, and ensure that it is sufficiently well resourced. Make use of its professional information staff for help and advice for all library and information matters. A similar development is taking place at the College of Occupational Therapists the Disability Information Studies Centre. Considerable potential n o w exists for the exchange of information and working together at a national level between the t w o major therapy professions to bring about changes.
Online Service
The online service is n o w available t o members an an introductory cost of f 1 0 until Christmas. Please ring the information officer to make arrangements for this service before visiting the centre.
(formerly advertised on this page), to be helti at King's College London. A small steering comrnittee will now take over responsibility for this event, and all correspondeice concerning it should n o w be addressed to DI Cecily Partridge, as conveno. ' I S proposed that presentations should include "state of t h e ' art" review: at well as individual research papers. Those who have already indicated their willingness t o participate have been contacted. A further call for papers is n o w being made for the free paper sessioi) to be held in the afternoon. This is not now to he lirnited to any specific subject. Please send abstracts to the Centre for Physiotherapy Research King's College, Strand, London WC2R 2LS as soon a s possible, by the end of February 1992. A steering group is being set up t o orgariise this first meeting at w h i c h decisions ahout elections and a council will be taken. If you wish to comment on the formation of this society, or receive fiirther information, please contact the Centre for Physiotherapy Research, King's College London. Further details will be circulated to all those registering an interest prior to the meeting.' I am pleased to welcome this national initiative and exciting opportunity to acknowledge a further stage in t h e development of physiotherapy research I hope it will receive the support it deserves, and look forward to seeing evidence of this at the meeting in April. I for one shall SN certainly be there.
Introduction to Research Pack The 'Introduction to Research' pack n o w available. It includes the following:
IS
A n introduction to research How to write a research proposal Literature search: What to look for and where to go Ethical and legal considerations Collaboration in research Sources of funding and h o w to apply Research presentation skills: How to present your project Research groups and centres of information Books on research Articles on reszarch CSP Information Resource Centre Projects from the Research Database Postgraduate programmes of relevance to physiotherapists For a copy of the pack, please send cheque for €3, payable t o 'The Charterecl Society of Physiotherapy to Samanttia Pym, information assistant at the CSP.
Information for this page is always welcome. Please contact Maureen M u i r information officer at the CSP. Physiotherapy, Decernber 1991, vol 77,~
J O12
Worker in the Workplace Personal Report on the Fourth International Symposium of the Physical Medicine Research Foundation - September 27 - 29 I have recently returned from Toronto having participated in a very stimulating and enjoyable conference, alongside about 400 health professionals. Most of them were Canadian but there were also some from the USA, Czechoslovakia (notably Vladainir Janda), Sweden and the UK T h e Physical M e d i c i n e Research Foundation is a charitable organisation, aiming t o b r i n g together all health professions who are concerned with helping to reduce the impact of musculoskeletal disorders. Delegates included occupational health physicians, ergonomists, psychologists, chiropractors, osteopaths, remedial massage therapists, certified athletics therapists and physiotherapists. Everyone was there to learn more from each other for the benefit of their patients. The organisation is based in Vancouver and has branches on the East Coast of Canada and also in the UK. The programme consisted of a wide range of topics relating t o musculoskeletal
problems. The areas covered included ergonomic approaches t o reduce workerrelated injuries, psychosocial factors which may contribute to a delay in returning to work, and theoretical and practical analysis of m a n i p u l a t i o n and o t h e r physical approaches. In the afternoons delegates broke up into smaller groups to attend workshops of their choice. These I found particularly useful and applicable, the only problem being that there were three concurrent ones which I would have liked to have attended at the same time! I especially enjoyed (it was popular with 4 0 - 5 0 others) a workshop run by a bioengineer Stuart McGill entitled 'Using biomechanics to reduce work related injuries'. I gave a talk called the 'Development of a health promotion programme for staff through exercise, ergonomics and early physiotherapy'. It was based on a project that we are working on at the Nuffield
Orthopaedic Centre. I also ran a workshop on back schools and neck schools which was a lively session. Next year the symposium will be at the University of Oxford (September 3 - 5 ) , and many of the most interesting and dynamic speakers will be coming over here to join up w i t h speakers from Australia (notably Professor Margaret Bullock), Sweden, and Czechoslovakia as well as a selection of British specialist speakers. It should certainly be a memorable event. Do try t o come! If the cost of attending such a conference deters you, then please consider whether you could volunteer to help and attend the whole conference including social events at a nominal charge.
JENNIFER MOFFETT
MSc hlCSP
Director, Physiotherapy Research Unit Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre
student briefing Students Officer As most of you will be aware by now, Siobhan Garrigan left the CSP at the end of the last academic year, to take up a scholarship in the United States. I am sure you would all want to join me in wishing her the very best for the future. I took over the position on September 9, and have spent some time since then familiarising myself with the CSP, and generally finding my feet. I have already visited a number of schools, to meet students and talk about the CSP and student membership. I have enjoyed this, and I hope you have found it useful. Many first-years have now elected their
Access Funds Many of you may have heard of Access Funds, without really knowing a great deal about them, or more importantly, how to apply. Access Funds have been available at universities, polytechnics and institutes/ colleges of higher e d u c a t i o n since September, 1990. They were introduced as part of the Education (Student Loan) Act 1990. This Act also froze student grants at the 1990 level, and removed students from the benefit system. The Access Fond is meant to help students facing extreme financial difficulties. It is not a loan and as such, you will not be expected to repay any money you are awarded once you leave college. Unfortunately, when Access Funds were introduced in 1990, no provision was made
Physiotherapy, December 1991, vol77, no 72
CSP delegate; congratulations to those who have been elected, and I hope you find the experience worth while and enjoyable. However, there are still some schools that remain unrepresented. If your school does not have a first-year delegate, please try and elect one soon. The Delegate Training Event takes place this year on December 16 and 17, I look forward to meeting you all then. If you have any questions about the training event, or the role of a delegate, please give me a call at the CSP. One or t w o of the regional co-ordinators have made contact with me in the past few weeks, but there are still some regions which remain a mystery. If you are a regional co-
ordinator, or if you know the name of the person w h o does this job in your region, will you please get in touch w i t h me I am keen to see activity in the regions, and I would be very interested to hear of any meetings or events that are being organised In the meantime, if you would like to contact me, or if you need any information or help, I can be found at Bedford Row, in t h e Education Department Please do not hesitate t o get in touch I look forward to meeting you all soon
to cover students studying at NHS schools. This has now been rectified. These students can apply through their Regional Health Authorities for assistance. Applications need t o be made through the school, and principals are n o w aware of the person responsible for administering the funds at Regional level. I wish all students who apply for Access Funds the very best of luck. If you would like more information, the CSP produces a factsheet (Factsheet 2 2 Access Funds) which can be obtained from the students officer.
If you would like to organise insurance cover for your 1992 elective, application forms can be obtained from the students officer. Insurance for anywhere except Canada and North America can be provided at €10.
Insurance A total of 91 students took advantage of the CSP Professional Liability Insurance last year, to cover their clinical electives. The same service will be offered in 1992.
GARRY NEWMAN CSP Students Officer
Annual Student Delegates Conference 1 9 9 2 This conference is to be held at the postgraduate centre, Birmingham Queen Elizabeth School of Physiotherapy, between February 2 9 and March 1. Any student wishing to submit a motion should do so before the next Student Executive Committee on January 13, 1992. Please send all motions to the students officer. I would also be very interested in any ideas you may have for guest speakers! lecturers. Please keep this date in your diary!
81 9
A Parting Shot! As many of you will know, I have devoted a great deal of my time at the CSP to raising the profile of libraries and information within the profession. I know that many of you are concerned about the former lack of an 'information culture' for physiotherapy, and keen to address this issue. I have been fortunate to have carried out this task w i t h information professionals and librarians as well, many of whom have also been very willing t o improve matters. In the past, access to libraries within the National Health Service has often been difficult, and progress has been slow. Present and future changes in arrangements for the funding of such libraries will not necessarily improve matters. It is the professional responsiblity of every working physiotherapist to make sure that access t o an appropriate library is available. I k n o w of only one Region where contracts are in place to ensure that this IS so, and this has been due to the considerable efforts of the Regional librarian, rather thar t o allied health professionals themselves. Dialogue w i t h another Regional librarian has provoked the following response: 'I agree w i t h the statement that library provision [for allied health professionals1 is variable, unco-ordinated and under threat but the professionals themselves have done
81 8
suggested as appropriate:
0 Providing a forum for the discussion of research matters. 0 Providing a voice for researchers within the profession.
0 Organising a prestigious annual meeting which will encourage high standards i r i research and will provide evidence of achievement. The society is concerned to encourage research of a high standard, and hopes to attract a wide membership, including all those interested in research, whether clinicians, managers, or teachers. It will be a national organisation, w i t h annual meetings held at various places in the UK, following the inaugural meeting in London. The level of support that has already come forward for this proposal is evidence from the profession itself that the time is n o w right for the establishment of such a body. It is not intended to be a Specific Interest Group of the CSP, since research transcends specific interests, nor will it take on the role of providing information, which is a CSP function. It is not intended to replace existing regional groups, but, using them as points of contact, t o facilitate and further encourage the growth of a national network of research activity and interest. The inaugural meeting of the Society is therefore planned to be held on April 23, 1992, at the Research Presentation Day little at a national level to improve this situation .' A n Information Resource Centre has this year been established a t the CSP with modest funding but considerable significance in this respect. It is a national resource, and evidence that something is being done. I hope that all of you will watch the development of this centre carefully, and ensure that it is sufficiently well resourced. Make use of its professional information staff for help and advice for all library and information matters. A similar development is taking place at the College of Occupational Therapists the Disability Information Studies Centre. Considerable potential n o w exists for the exchange of information and working together at a national level between the t w o major therapy professions to bring about changes.
Online Service
The online service is n o w available t o members an an introductory cost of f 1 0 until Christmas. Please ring the information officer to make arrangements for this service before visiting the centre.
(formerly advertised on this page), to be helti at King's College London. A small steering comrnittee will now take over responsibility for this event, and all correspondeice concerning it should n o w be addressed to DI Cecily Partridge, as conveno. ' I S proposed that presentations should include "state of t h e ' art" review: at well as individual research papers. Those who have already indicated their willingness t o participate have been contacted. A further call for papers is n o w being made for the free paper sessioi) to be held in the afternoon. This is not now to he lirnited to any specific subject. Please send abstracts to the Centre for Physiotherapy Research King's College, Strand, London WC2R 2LS as soon a s possible, by the end of February 1992. A steering group is being set up t o orgariise this first meeting at w h i c h decisions ahout elections and a council will be taken. If you wish to comment on the formation of this society, or receive fiirther information, please contact the Centre for Physiotherapy Research, King's College London. Further details will be circulated to all those registering an interest prior to the meeting.' I am pleased to welcome this national initiative and exciting opportunity to acknowledge a further stage in t h e development of physiotherapy research I hope it will receive the support it deserves, and look forward to seeing evidence of this at the meeting in April. I for one shall SN certainly be there.
Introduction to Research Pack The 'Introduction to Research' pack n o w available. It includes the following:
IS
A n introduction to research How to write a research proposal Literature search: What to look for and where to go Ethical and legal considerations Collaboration in research Sources of funding and h o w to apply Research presentation skills: How to present your project Research groups and centres of information Books on research Articles on reszarch CSP Information Resource Centre Projects from the Research Database Postgraduate programmes of relevance to physiotherapists For a copy of the pack, please send cheque for €3, payable t o 'The Charterecl Society of Physiotherapy to Samanttia Pym, information assistant at the CSP.
Information for this page is always welcome. Please contact Maureen M u i r information officer at the CSP. Physiotherapy, Decernber 1991, vol 77,~
J O12
Worker in the Workplace Personal Report on the Fourth International Symposium of the Physical Medicine Research Foundation - September 27 - 29 I have recently returned from Toronto having participated in a very stimulating and enjoyable conference, alongside about 400 health professionals. Most of them were Canadian but there were also some from the USA, Czechoslovakia (notably Vladainir Janda), Sweden and the UK T h e Physical M e d i c i n e Research Foundation is a charitable organisation, aiming t o b r i n g together all health professions who are concerned with helping to reduce the impact of musculoskeletal disorders. Delegates included occupational health physicians, ergonomists, psychologists, chiropractors, osteopaths, remedial massage therapists, certified athletics therapists and physiotherapists. Everyone was there to learn more from each other for the benefit of their patients. The organisation is based in Vancouver and has branches on the East Coast of Canada and also in the UK. The programme consisted of a wide range of topics relating t o musculoskeletal
problems. The areas covered included ergonomic approaches t o reduce workerrelated injuries, psychosocial factors which may contribute to a delay in returning to work, and theoretical and practical analysis of m a n i p u l a t i o n and o t h e r physical approaches. In the afternoons delegates broke up into smaller groups to attend workshops of their choice. These I found particularly useful and applicable, the only problem being that there were three concurrent ones which I would have liked to have attended at the same time! I especially enjoyed (it was popular with 4 0 - 5 0 others) a workshop run by a bioengineer Stuart McGill entitled 'Using biomechanics to reduce work related injuries'. I gave a talk called the 'Development of a health promotion programme for staff through exercise, ergonomics and early physiotherapy'. It was based on a project that we are working on at the Nuffield
Orthopaedic Centre. I also ran a workshop on back schools and neck schools which was a lively session. Next year the symposium will be at the University of Oxford (September 3 - 5 ) , and many of the most interesting and dynamic speakers will be coming over here to join up w i t h speakers from Australia (notably Professor Margaret Bullock), Sweden, and Czechoslovakia as well as a selection of British specialist speakers. It should certainly be a memorable event. Do try t o come! If the cost of attending such a conference deters you, then please consider whether you could volunteer to help and attend the whole conference including social events at a nominal charge.
JENNIFER MOFFETT
MSc hlCSP
Director, Physiotherapy Research Unit Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre
student briefing Students Officer As most of you will be aware by now, Siobhan Garrigan left the CSP at the end of the last academic year, to take up a scholarship in the United States. I am sure you would all want to join me in wishing her the very best for the future. I took over the position on September 9, and have spent some time since then familiarising myself with the CSP, and generally finding my feet. I have already visited a number of schools, to meet students and talk about the CSP and student membership. I have enjoyed this, and I hope you have found it useful. Many first-years have now elected their
Access Funds Many of you may have heard of Access Funds, without really knowing a great deal about them, or more importantly, how to apply. Access Funds have been available at universities, polytechnics and institutes/ colleges of higher e d u c a t i o n since September, 1990. They were introduced as part of the Education (Student Loan) Act 1990. This Act also froze student grants at the 1990 level, and removed students from the benefit system. The Access Fond is meant to help students facing extreme financial difficulties. It is not a loan and as such, you will not be expected to repay any money you are awarded once you leave college. Unfortunately, when Access Funds were introduced in 1990, no provision was made
Physiotherapy, December 1991, vol77, no 72
CSP delegate; congratulations to those who have been elected, and I hope you find the experience worth while and enjoyable. However, there are still some schools that remain unrepresented. If your school does not have a first-year delegate, please try and elect one soon. The Delegate Training Event takes place this year on December 16 and 17, I look forward to meeting you all then. If you have any questions about the training event, or the role of a delegate, please give me a call at the CSP. One or t w o of the regional co-ordinators have made contact with me in the past few weeks, but there are still some regions which remain a mystery. If you are a regional co-
ordinator, or if you know the name of the person w h o does this job in your region, will you please get in touch w i t h me I am keen to see activity in the regions, and I would be very interested to hear of any meetings or events that are being organised In the meantime, if you would like to contact me, or if you need any information or help, I can be found at Bedford Row, in t h e Education Department Please do not hesitate t o get in touch I look forward to meeting you all soon
to cover students studying at NHS schools. This has now been rectified. These students can apply through their Regional Health Authorities for assistance. Applications need t o be made through the school, and principals are n o w aware of the person responsible for administering the funds at Regional level. I wish all students who apply for Access Funds the very best of luck. If you would like more information, the CSP produces a factsheet (Factsheet 2 2 Access Funds) which can be obtained from the students officer.
If you would like to organise insurance cover for your 1992 elective, application forms can be obtained from the students officer. Insurance for anywhere except Canada and North America can be provided at €10.
Insurance A total of 91 students took advantage of the CSP Professional Liability Insurance last year, to cover their clinical electives. The same service will be offered in 1992.
GARRY NEWMAN CSP Students Officer
Annual Student Delegates Conference 1 9 9 2 This conference is to be held at the postgraduate centre, Birmingham Queen Elizabeth School of Physiotherapy, between February 2 9 and March 1. Any student wishing to submit a motion should do so before the next Student Executive Committee on January 13, 1992. Please send all motions to the students officer. I would also be very interested in any ideas you may have for guest speakers! lecturers. Please keep this date in your diary!
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