Author: Eugene Barsky

The last issue of the Journal of Manual & Manipulative Therapy (Volume 14, Number 3) is online now – http://jmmtonline.com/current/

As usual, there is a lot of free content provided by the journal’s editorial team, including two video files on Upper Thoracic Extension Thrust Manipulation and Supine Cervical Flexion Rotary Thrust Manipulation.

Take a look!

This a new paper published in the recent <Med Teach. 2006 Feb;28(1):e32-9 by Allan Ward and Jackie Gracey from the School of Health Sciences, University of Ulster, Northern Ireland.

The paper authors were interested in reflective practice within physiotherapy education as a method for reducing the ‘theory-practice gap’ and as a means of articulating, exposing and developing knowledge embedded in practice.

Consent for the study was obtained via the professional body (The Chartered Society of Physiotherapists) (CSP) and data was collected via postal questionnaire.

Results indicated a diversity of experience in respondents both in terms of their role as Coordinator and their training in reflective practice. There was also no clear consensus regarding facilitative models or assessment methods even though the majority of coordinators believed that reflective practice should be considered to be a central component of physiotherapy teaching strategies.

The authors concluded that: “The results of this survey provide a focus for further empirical research into reflective practice as part of the physiotherapy curricula, while advancing the understanding of reflective practice from a broader perspective and clarifying the benefits to students, teachers, patients and practitioners.”

If interested, please find the full text of this paper here [PDF, 155KB]

This very recent article by Ross Iles and Megan Davidson from School of Physiotherapy, La Trobe University, Australia, published in the very recent issue of Physiotherapy Research International (PHYSIOTHER RES INT), 2006; 11(2): 93-103, worked to investigate Australian physiotherapists’ self-reported practice, skills and knowledge of evidence-based practice and to examine differences between recent and experienced graduates, physiotherapists with low and high levels of training and physiotherapists working in private practice and hospital settings.

A survey was sent to 230 physiotherapists working in hospitals and in private practice. One hundred and twenty-four were completed and returned.

Despite the findings that approx 70% of respondents said they frequently (at least monthly) read research literature, only 10.6%, 15.3% and 26.6% of respondents, respectively, searched PEDro, Cochrane and Medline or Cinahl databases frequently, and only 25.8% of respondents reported critically appraising research reports.

Does it surprise you? How often do you search these resources to stay up-to-date with your practice. Okay, I know most of you don’t have access to CINAHL, Cochrane or MEDLINE, however, PubMed and PEDro are FREE!

Interestingly, recent graduates rated their evidence-based practice skills more highly than more experienced graduates, but did not perform evidence-based practice tasks more often.

Physiotherapists with higher levels of training rated their evidence-based practice skills more highly, were more likely to search databases and to understand a range of evidence-based practice terminology than those with lower levels of training.

Intriguingly, private practice and hospital physiotherapists rated their evidence-based practice skills equally and performed most evidence-based practice activities with equal frequency.

The authors concluded that: “Respondents had a positive attitude toward evidence-based practice and the main barriers to evidence-based practice were time required to keep up to date, access to easily understandable summaries of evidence, journal access and lack of personal skills in searching and evaluating research evidence. Efforts to advance evidence-based practice in physiotherapy should focus on reducing these barriers.”

Excellent study , really, and it emphasizes once again what we are trying to do here at our partnership between PABC and UBC. My mandate is to help you with your evidence based needs: research, practice, teaching and learning.

We have workshops that cover PubMed from EBP perspective, I do tons of research questions for you and much more. Even this blog is supposed to satisfy some of your EBP needs 🙂 Have you noticed that?

A new study published in the newest issue of Pain. 2006 Sep;124(1-2):201-10. Epub 2006 Jun 27 – “The effect of 300 mW, 830 nm laser on chronic neck pain: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study” was conducted with the aim of determining the efficacy of 300 mW, 830 nm laser in the management of chronic neck pain.

The primary outcome measure was change in a 10 cm Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) for pain. Secondary outcome measures included Short-Form 36 Quality-of-Life questionnaire (SF-36), Northwick Park Neck Pain Questionnaire (NPNQ), Neck Pain and Disability Scale (NPAD), the McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ) and Self-Assessed Improvement (SAI) in pain measured by VAS.

The mean VAS pain scores improved by 2.7 in the treated group and worsened by 0.3 in the control group . Interestingly, significant improvements were seen in the active group compared to placebo for SF-36-Physical Score (SF36 PCS), NPNQ, NPAD, MPQVAS and SAI. The results of the SF-36 – Mental Score (SF36 MCS) and other MPQ component scores (afferent and sensory) did not differ significantly between the two groups.

The authors have concluded that : “Low-level laser therapy (LLLT), at the parameters used in this study, was efficacious in providing pain relief for patients with chronic neck pain over a period of 3 months.”

Thanks to Marj Belot for suggesting this study from her perspective 🙂