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physio
austria
inform
September 2015
Members of Physio Austria (and all our mem-
ber organisations) receive preferential regis-
tration rates for WCPT congresses. The next
one will be in Cape Town in July 2017. All of
the abstracts and many of the presentations
from our recent congress in Singapore are
now openly available on our website, which
is a fantastic resource.
What are currently the main issues
concerning physiotherapists around
the world?
I think the answer to this question depends
on where you are standing in the world.
For example, a recent news article in WCPT
News describes the work of physiotherapists
in Nepal following the devastating earth-
quake. In Ukraine and other parts of the
world physiotherapists are dealing with the
consequences of war and its impact on
individuals and communities.
In some countries, we are an autonomous,
well-respected profession. In others, we are
so few that there are many underserved
areas.
We continue to grow and develop but the
space we occupy is not ours alone and we
must not be complacent. We have to take
every opportunity to make it clear what we
can do: how we can change patients/clients
lives for the better; and why we are a key
contributor to ensuring healthy individuals,
communities and societies.
Our biggest challenge as a profession in
many parts of the world will be to ensure
we can articulate a clear message about the
value of physiotherapy in language that is un-
derstood by decision makers. Heath service
delivery is changing at a pace, and collecti-
vely physiotherapists have to be seen as part
of the solution to delivering person-centred,
evidence-based health interventions that
empower sustainable health behaviour
changes. We have to promote physical
activity and movement at every opportunity,
and we need to live that message. These are
challenging times, but if we can be respon-
sive, flexible and innovative, then they
provide opportunities.
Mag. Patricia Otuka-Karner
Themenschwerpunkt
Physiotherapie International
INTERVIEW
Mag. Patricia Otuka-Karner
© Lumiere Photography for WCPT www.wcpt.org