President of World Physiotherapy visits Portugal

This Tuesday saw the end of a two-day visit to Portugal by the President of World Physiotherapy (WP), Michel Landry.

The newly elected President of the organisation that represents more than 600,000 physiotherapists around the world, through its 127 members, including the Order of Physiotherapistswas received on 27 and 28 November.

During the visit to the premises in Lisbon, President António Lopes and the Direction presented the strategic plan for the activities of the Order of Physiotherapists at a meeting attended by the President of the Jurisdictional Council and the President of the Supervisory Board.

A session was held with the General Council of the Order of Physiotherapists, in which the President of World Physiotherapy presented some of the organisation's strategic projects and answered some questions from the audience gathered beforehand. The session was open to members of  working groups of the Order of Physiotherapists, in particular those linked to specialised groups (speciality groups) from World Physiotherapy.

With the aim of addressing opportunities for co-operation on projects in the World Physiotherapy with a humanitarian component, the programme included a meeting with the Physiotherapy in emergencies, disasters and humanitarian action Working Group.

For the President of the Order of Physiotherapists, António Lopes, this visit represented "a significant step towards strengthening the Order of Physiotherapists as the representative body of the profession at international level and consolidating the institutional relationship with the international organisation of which the Order of Physiotherapists is a member".

For the President of World Physiotherapy, Michel Landry, "Being here gives me the opportunity, which is important for me personally and for us at World Physiotherapy, to create partnerships with orders and associations around the world. Because a strong Order unleashes potential in the country, in Europe and also opens up opportunities for physiotherapists in other Portuguese-speaking countries and, at the same time, opportunities for the patients you work with".

Order of Physiotherapists at Congress dedicated to Physiotherapy specialities

The Order of Physiotherapists, represented by President António Lopes, was present at the event. XVII National Congress of PhysiotherapyThe event, organised by the Spanish Association of Physiotherapists, took place on 24 and 25 November, with more than 700 participants.

According to the organisers, the aim of the congress was to promote the contribution of physiotherapists to maintaining the health of the population and to demand the recognition of physiotherapy specialities as a response to social demands.

On the sidelines of the Congress, the President had the opportunity to discuss the issue with the President of the Spanish Association of Physiotherapists, Fernando Ramos Gomes. Table of Physiotherapy Professional Specialities in Portugalwithin the remit of the Order of Physiotherapists.

He also had the opportunity to discuss a number of common issues related to the regulation of the profession with the President of the Council of Colleges of Physiotherapists of Spain, Gustavo Paseiro Ares.

When babies are born too soon: World Prematurity Day

This Friday, 17th November, marks the World Prematurity Day, a date that aims to raise awareness of premature births, deaths and sequelae due to prematurity, promoted by the EFCNI - European Foundation for the Care of NewbornsThis is a platform created in April 2008 at European level, made up of parents and health professionals, with the aim of giving a voice to premature newborns and their families.

O premature birth is defined by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as birth before 37 completed weeks of gestation. It currently happens to more than 10% of the 130 million babies worldwide and 5 to 12% of the 5 million European babies." (EFCNI, 2019, Preterm Birth Factsheet).

The premature babies or pre-term can be categorised according to gestational age and birth weight, with neonatal morbidity being greater the more premature or lighter the baby is. Thus extreme" prematurity" includes babies under 28 weeks of gestation, the "great" prematurityThose who are born at less than 32 weeks are considered to be moderate" or "late" preterms" those born between 32-33 weeks and 34-36 weeks respectively. They are "extreme underweight" babies born weighing less than 1000 grams (g), from "very low weight" weighing less than 1500 g, and "low weight" between 1500-2500 g.

Physiotherapy intervention in prematurity

A vulnerability of these babies, due to the inherent characteristics of their prematurity and the immaturity of their organ systems, leads us to anticipate certain complications and requires close monitoring of their development, not only, but particularly in the case of extreme premature babies, due to the increased risk of sequelae associated with their condition. Physiotherapy intervention in this population has shown benefitsIt should be started early, even during hospitalisation in the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit).

The demands of early life and early experiences must be carefully observed by the person concerned. Physiotherapist, in order to better structure their approach, with the aim of promoting the baby's typical development, contributing to their neuromotor development and minimising or even avoiding serious sequelae.

A prematurity is the recognised cause of major sequelae such as cerebral palsy, cognitive impairment and moderate to severe neurosensory alterations. During hospitalisation, positioning and neuroprotective care are examples of physiotherapy intervention and play a fundamental role in preventing or minimising them. The respiratory condition is also affected in this population, with hyaline membrane disease (a typical disease of lung immaturity), and its evolution into bronchopulmonary dysplasia and chronic lung disease.

From neonatology to the home and from the home to the world. Physiotherapist is the health professional to have as a companion for the first months/years of life of premature babies and their families. It is therefore essential to establish an interdisciplinary follow-up plan after hospital discharge, which should include an assessment of the baby's neurological status, their motor, behavioural, cognitive and language development, so that early warning signs can be identified and timely intervention can be made to minimise or prevent sequelae.

To Physiotherapists also plays the role of educator, since the family's guidance is key to the success of their intervention. The many activities of everyday life are unique opportunities for the triad father-mother-baby can deepen relationships and enhance the baby's development. The Physiotherapists wants them to be better equipped parents, with tools to promote the harmonious development of their "little warriors", a term often used to describe this population and which refers to the resilience of premature babies.

Pedro Maciel Barbosa

Specialist physiotherapist at the Matosinhos Local Health Unit Sub-coordinator for Primary Health Care, Matosinhos Local Health Unit Visiting Assistant Professor at the Porto School of Health Member of the Board of Directors of the Foundation for Health - SNS Member of the General Council of the Order of Physiotherapists

Carlos Sand

Carlos Areia has been a physiotherapist since 2013, and has worked in various hospitals, clinics and clubs in both Portugal and the UK. He began his academic career at Oxford University in 2016, where he led a clinical trial comparing physiotherapy vs surgery in anterior cruciate injuries in 32 hospitals in England. In 2018 she moved to the neurosciences department, where she developed her own studies on remote monitoring of vital signs, which were implemented during the pandemic. Here he discovered his passion for data, and in 2022, he joined Digital Science as a Data Scientist. He completed his PhD earlier this year, and has more than 60 publications in journals such as The Lancet, BMJ, Cochrane, among others. He is also an honorary lecturer at Oxford Brookes University and a consultant in clinical research.

Eduardo José Brazete Carvalho Cruz

PhD in Physiotherapy from the University of Brighton, UK. Post-Doctorate in Epidemiology from the National School of Public Health at the New University of Lisbon.
Coordinator of the Studies and Planning Office of the Order of Physiotherapists. Coordinating Professor of the Physiotherapy Department of the School of Health of the Polytechnic Institute of Setúbal (ESS-IPS). President of the ESS-IPS Technical-Scientific Council. Coordinator of the Physiotherapy Department at ESS-IPS. Integrated Researcher at the Comprehensive Health Research Centre (CHRC) (a partnership between FCM-UNL, the National School of Public Health, the University of Évora, the Lisbon Institute of Global Mental Health and Santo Espírito Hospital, Terceira Island, Azores).

Sara Souto Miranda

Sara Souto Miranda has a bachelor's and master's degree in physiotherapy from the University of Aveiro, and a postgraduate qualification in adult respiratory physiotherapy from the same institution. In 2023 she completed her double doctorate in Rehabilitation Sciences/Health, Medicine and Life Sciences at the Universities of Aveiro and Maastricht (Netherlands) and is currently working as a technical-scientific advisor to the Studies and Planning Office (GEP) of the Order of Physiotherapists, and as a guest lecturer at the Piaget Institute in Vila Nova de Gaia. As a member of the Respiratory Research and Rehabilitation Laboratory at the University of Aveiro (Lab3R), she has carried out applied research in which she has assessed and treated patients with respiratory pathology, having taken part in 6 research projects. Throughout her career she has published 19 scientific articles in international peer-reviewed journals with an impact factor, 1 book chapter and more than 50 abstracts in conference proceedings. She was a research volunteer at the Ciro rehabilitation centre (Centre for expertise in chronic organ failure) in the Netherlands, and is currently a member of the Guideline Methodology Network of European Respiratory Society. She was honoured by European Lung Foundation e European Respiratory Society for carrying out patient-centred research, by the Directorate General for Higher Education with a merit grant for his master's degree, and by the Ciro Centre with a grant to support research abroad.

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