Moving physiotherapy from evidence based practice towards evidence informed practice

The context in which health professionals’ function is rapidly changing and demands proactive change. Health care is not adequately reforming towards a structure, which orientates to the health questions of an ageing population and the exploding prevalence of non-communicable diseases. The demand of the society to show more efficiency in the work done is failing, as innovations don’t get incorporated into practice and expenses for both research and practice keep rising. All these developments are set in the context of the knowledge society with its ability to collect and share more knowledge, more globally. This dissertation focuses in this context on the failure of the community of physiotherapy to manage the knowledge innovation and knowledge circulation in its theory and practice. The aim is to rethink the framework in which we manage knowledge in the profession, the evidence based practice movement, and define factors that can positively influence the impasse. An alternative framework, called Evidence Informed Practice, is formulated, to improve the knowledge management. Based on this new framework three studies were performed. The first one is a critical analysis of review methodology, representing one of the main EBP-tools used at the moment. In this analysis alternative and complementary directions for both the theory and practice of review methodology are formulated. The second and third study explores epistemic beliefs as one of the factors relevant for developing the evidence informed practice of the physiotherapist. This is done in a European perspective. The second study is the development of a survey by cross-cultural adapting two questionnaires measuring the epistemic beliefs of physiotherapist and one questionnaire to measure the attitude towards EBP. This is done in 10 different countries in Europe. The third study performs this survey in these countries. The results show that physiotherapists in Europe are similar in a moderate positive attitude towards EBP and that they have moderate epistemic beliefs. The conclusion of this dissertation is that the framework of evidence based practice and, consequently, its tools needs to be reformulated in order to solve the apparent knowledge management problem. The study offers an alternative framework and emphasize the ‘understanding of practice’ and, more specifically within this broad concept, epistemic beliefs as a determinant for innovation within physiotherap

European benchmarking and customized learning

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Implementing european programs: creating platforms for innovation of physiotherapy education

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Trends in physiotherapy education: retrospective analysis of ECPE presentations

The last decade both physiotherapy and education faced many demands. Educators are challenged to show evidence and report their best practices. An overview of what has been the focus in the ECPE conference show and the main areas of interest and the development in the European Higher Education Area. It provides the opportunity to benchmark towards the policy statement of education of the World Physiotherapy Confederation. Thus increase the consistency and perhaps assisting in formulating a relevant research agenda for the future. The purpose of this study is to give an overview of the trends in physiotherapy education of the last decennium as it is presented at the conferences of the European the World Physiotherapy Confederation (ECPE). A descriptive and retrospective study was carried out and qualitative and quantitative analysis was made on the basis of content and study design/ methodology, by 3 independent reviewers of all abstracts presented at each of the two previous ECPE conferences of 2004 (Estoril - Portugal) and 2008 (Stockholm -Sweden). Categories for content analyses were developed on base of the distribution and main themes used in the conference. This analysis was constrainted by lack of transparency on the description of methodologies in the abstracts and also by the different organization of the abstract books. We needed to create a category "Not Conclusive" and make our decisions based on the rahter classic distinction of qualitative and quantitative study types and methodology. In the results we can find an increase of total presentations from the first to the second conference. In both conference there is a clear preference for special interest issues and in the research the qualitative studies are more favored. There is a total increase in research and implementation research from the first conference to the second. We intepretate this as a logical consequence as in the first conference most of the presentations were focused on new strategies and policies. In the second conference the aim was more directed to the implementation and scientific grounding of these innovations. Educations Institutes and professionals developed more research on Continuous Professional Development, Teaching and Learning strategies, Curriculum Development and Clinical Education. Presumably these topics are related with the European movement – ‘ Europe a strong society in 2020!’, where education and professionals should meet an European standard. The next step could be a comparison with WCPT and educational networks like COHEHRE and ENPHE. It helps researchers and educators to get a better inside of the research agenda and build upon earlier work. It gives an incentive to the development of high quality methodologies. An overview of reports in conferences gives the opportunity to compare with published results and could challenge publishing criteria.N/

Healthy Ageing zet de transitie in!:beweging en houding vraagt om fundamentele maatschappelijke verandering

Vanuit de transitie die nodig is in de zorg wordt de Master HAP toegelicht. Multidisciplinariteit en verbreding van het vakgebied spelen daarin een belangrijke rol. Afsluitend licht een student zijn innovatie toe

Learning Partnerships (WP5) COP Report

The Knowledge Alliance for Communities of Practice for Healthy Lifestyle (COP4HL) aimed at developing and sustaining communities of practice (COP) in order to stimulate innovation and socio-economic development in the area of Healthy Ageing. Promoting Healthy Ageing, and specifically an Active & Healthy Lifestyle, is one of the biggest societal and economical challenges the EU is facing. A paradigm shift from health care and cure to prevention is essential since the traditional ways have proven to be insufficient to solve this complex problem. An impact-driven multi-sector approach is necessary to develop innovative products and services to change this for the better. The KA was composed of higher education institutes and businesses, supported by public authorities and non-for-profits, who are accepting the need of co-creating knowledge to stimulate innovation for an Active & Healthy Lifestyle. A local needs and assets mapping procedure, that assessed the national and local status quo in the area of Healthy Ageing/Healthy Lifestyles, served as starting point of the development of five communities or practice the communities of Groningen (the Netherlands), Odense (Denmark), Malaga (Spain), Kaunas (Lithuania) and Cascais (Portugal) plus an additional COP in Alcobaca (Portugal). These COP were focused on a common goal that was collectively decided in the local COP