but less than a full blog post and not befitting of posterous account so I thought I would put them together.
-Can’t help thinking that as physical therapists we need to formally get on the bandwagon of the very noble initiative by Michelle Obama to curb child obesity especially when one considers the substantial evidence on exercise and nutrition. Since most of our patients are overweight and that is not their primary reason to come to PT, we could play a role in this fight. Government estimates are that obesity costs $147 billion year (or more than approx 12x the size of the outpatient PT industry) in weight-related medical bills. The government campaign Let’s Move sure goes hand in hand with our Move Forward.
-From the latest Cochrane on use of therapeutic ultrasound for knee or hip OA:
In contrast to he previous version of this review, our results suggest that therapeutic ultrasound may be beneficial for patients with osteoarthritis of the knee. Because of the low quality of evidence, we are uncertain about the magnitude of the effects on pain relief and function. Therapeutic ultrasound is widely used for its potential benefits in both knee pain and function, which may be clinically relevant. Appropriately designed trials of adequate power are therefore warranted.
Looks like we might see a big return to ultrasound machines at our exhibit halls!
-at TED this week having just finished one of their books they sent as part of their book club called Denialism: How Irrational Thinking Hinders Scientific Progress, Harms the Planet, and Threatens Our Lives. ‘Denialism: How Irrational Thinking Hinders Scientific Progress, Harms the Planet and Threatens Our Lives by Michael Specter. It is an excellent book on many fronts and provided much insight as to why there really is an “anti-science” trend which by extension anti-EBP. The unfortunate emotional arguments against clinical-effectiveness research as a plank in healthcare reform is probably the most recent showing of “denialism” in action. The recent Lancet retraction of the crazy notion of linking MMR vaccines to autism unfortunately help spread denialism to a movement that resulted in less children being vaccinated. Specter is presenting at this conference and the presentation will then be available sometime on the TED site.
-Re-reading Nov 2007 post Support the Exception to the Moratorium of the Exception process demonstrates that some things never change. On Feb 4, Senator Ensign (R-NV) introduced 2 pieces of legislation that could extend the therapy cap exceptions process for one year (S.2987) and two years (S.2988) and most likely this legislation gets attached to others but does pose a near term opportunity to repeal the cap temporarily while we hopefully get a permanent repeal. As PT’s it is time to reach out and I particularly recommend both the APTA legislative action center which is a brilliant way to personalize your message to your Senators and the Patient Action Center which is also a meaningful way for your patients to assist in the effort (especially the irate Medicare patients who have already exhausted their 2010 cap). As we have consistently said on this blog, if for no other reason than legislative representation, you should be a member of your national association.
-On a very sad note a name synonymous with our profession, Werner Hausmann died in Florida at age 85 from cancer. His equipment including tables and parallel bars adorn physical therapy centers everywhere. Here is an inspiring story about this fine man and entrepreneur reflecting his humble upbringings and the challenge that created his company.
-Lastly, I would like to get ideas and suggestions on Physical Therapists Help For Haiti an initiative designed to bring physical therapy attention, relief, and emphasis on the devastation in Haiti. There has never been a time when the whole world will be watching physical therapists play such a significant role in so many lives and the current work of PT’s in Haiti right now is inspiring. One initial thought was to hold an online course with several renowned instructors donating their time by teaching with all registration monies going exclusively to supplies, training local Haitians in rehab techniques, and other physical therapy relief efforts. All we have is a reserved domain name so please feel free to share your thoughts.
