congratulations...autumn / 2008 16 the department of rehabilitation sciences (rs) has been providing...

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AUTUMN / 2008 16 The Department of Rehabilitation Sciences (RS) has been providing high- quality internationally benchmarked entry-level education to occupational therapists and physiotherapists for 28 years. Our graduates are competent professionals serving clients in Hong Kong, Mainland China, and many other countries. We also offer excellent opportunities to practitioners and researchers for pursuing further education from a disciplinary- specific or multidisciplinary perspective in rehabilitation sciences. In order to achieve its mission of providing high-quality education and mediating professional development, our Department still has a lot to do in the future. Your support is vital to facilitate this process! Please offer your support by making a donation. Your donation, no matter whether big or small, will make an impact on the future of rehabilitation in Hong Kong and throughout the world. Donation Form Name: Prof. / Dr. / Mr. / Mrs. / Ms. / Miss Address: Contact Tel. No.: Email: Company: Position: Year of Graduation: (For RS alumni only) Donation Amount: I wish to contribute to the development of RS; please allocate my donation for the following purpose(s). (Please add a “” where appropriate) Research conducted by RS RS student development At the discretion of RS Other (Please specify): Please make your cheque payable to: THE HONG KONG POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY and mail it to: Department of Rehabilitation Sciences The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong ** A donation receipt will be issued by the University for tax deduction purposes Signature: Date: Your BIG or small Donation will make an Impact ! AUTUMN / 2008 Also in this issue: Academic Visioning Tour to Australia, April 2008 p.4 Serena Yang Lecture Series in Rehabilitation Sciences p.8-9 We back up the ATHLETES in the Olympics! RS Beijing Volunteers arrived in Beijing on 20 July 2008 and started their duties before the athletes moved into the Olympic village. On arrival at the Polyclinic of the Beijing Olympic Village, their first duty was to familiarise themselves with the environment of the Polyclinic and learn how to operate the Polyclinic equipment. Inside the village, RS volunteers worked in shifts from 8 am to 11 pm on alternate days and were dedicated to providing the best possible service to the athletes in the village. Four of our Beijing volunteers were assigned to providing support in different Olympic venues including: the National Indoor Stadium, the National Stadium, the Beijing Workers' Stadium and the National Aquatics Centre. Our Qingdao Volunteers arrived in Qingdao on 27 July 2008 and started to work in the Qingdao Olympic Village and a Local Hospital. Our Equestrian and Paralympic volunteer teams were also fully equipped to support these athletes in their events. Before the Olympics, four RS teachers helped several National Teams to prepare for the Olympics. When our athletes obtained medals in the Olympic competitions, our therapists shared in the joy of the athletes. Beijing Volunteer Team Cover Story

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Page 1: Congratulations...AUTUMN / 2008 16 The Department of Rehabilitation Sciences (RS) has been providing high-quality internationally benchmarked entry-level education to occupational

AUTUMN / 2008

16

The Department of Rehabilitation Sciences (RS) has been providing high-quality internationally benchmarked entry-level education to occupational therapists and physiotherapists for 28 years. Our graduates are competent professionals serving clients in Hong Kong, Mainland China, and many other countries. We also offer excellent opportunities to practitioners and researchers for pursuing further education from a disciplinary-specific or multidisciplinary perspective in rehabilitation sciences. In order to achieve its mission of providing high-quality education and mediating professional development, our Department still has a lot to do in the future. Your support is vital to facilitate this process!

Please offer your support by making a donation. Your donation, no matter whether big or small, will make an impact on the future of rehabilitation in Hong Kong and throughout the world.

Donation FormName: Prof. / Dr. / Mr. / Mrs. / Ms. / Miss

Address:

Contact Tel. No.: Email:

Company: Position:

Year of Graduation: (For RS alumni only)

Donation Amount:

I wish to contribute to the development of RS; please allocate my donation for the following purpose(s). (Please add a “✓” where appropriate)❏ Research conducted by RS❏ RS student development❏ At the discretion of RS❏ Other (Please specify):

Please make your cheque payable to:THE HONG KONG POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITYand mail it to:Department of Rehabilitation SciencesThe Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong

** A donation receipt will be issued by the University for tax deduction purposes

Signature: Date:

Your BIG or small Donationwill make an Impact !

AU T U M N / 2 0 0 8

Also in this issue: Academic Visioning Tour to Australia, April 2008p.4

Serena Yang Lecture Series inRehabilitation Sciencesp.8-9

We back up the ATHLETES in the Olympics!RS Beijing Volunteers arrived in Beijing on 20 July 2008 and started their duties before the athletes moved into theOlympic village. On arrival at the Polyclinic of the Beijing Olympic Village, their first duty was to familiarise themselveswith the environment of the Polyclinic and learn how to operatethe Polyclinic equipment. Inside the village, RS volunteersworked in shifts from 8 am to 11 pm on alternate days and werededicated to providing the best possible service to the athletes in the village.

Four of our Beijing volunteers were assigned to providing support in different Olympic venues including: theNational Indoor Stadium, the National Stadium, the BeijingWorkers' Stadium and the National Aquatics Centre. Our QingdaoVolunteers arrived in Qingdao on 27 July 2008 and started towork in the Qingdao Olympic Village and a Local Hospital. OurEquestrian and Paralympic volunteer teams were also fullyequipped to support these athletes in their events.

Before the Olympics, four RS teachers helped severalNational Teams to prepare for the Olympics. When our athletesobtained medals in the Olympic competitions, our therapistsshared in the joy of the athletes.

Beijing Volunteer Team

Cover Story

Page 2: Congratulations...AUTUMN / 2008 16 The Department of Rehabilitation Sciences (RS) has been providing high-quality internationally benchmarked entry-level education to occupational

2 15

AUTUMN / 2008

Qingdao Volunteer Team

Dr. Ella Yeung shared the happiness and glory with National Hockey Team, China

Congratulations

Editors’ Corner

Editors: Ms Sharon M H Tsang &Ms Wood P S Lee

Department of Rehabilitaion Sciences

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Tel: 2766 4332

Fax: 2330 8656

Email: [email protected]

To celebrate the 30th Anniversary of Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, we are delighted to share with you the recipients of the Outstanding Alumni Awards 2008 in Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy. We wish to congratulate the following recipients:

Dr. Joyce Fung(1982 Physiotherapy Graduate)Associate Professor, McGill University, Canada

Dr. Sidney Chu(1982 Occupational Therapy Graduate)Paediatric Occupational Therapy Service ManagerEaling Primary Care TrustUnited Kingdom

Dr. Joyce Fung is a very productive and renowned researcherin neuroscience, applied biological science, engineering andclinical rehabilitation (such as virtual rehabilitation, neuro-rehabilitation). She is also a devoted mentor to post-doctoralfellows and post-graduates, and a well known scholar to localand international communities.

Dr. Sidney Chu has a great achievement in his clinical skills in pediatrics. He has delivered numerous courses and presentations in the UK and overseas and is actively involvedin research-related activities, teaching and OT development.He has contributed to a wide range of publications in theareas of Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, dyslexia,Cerebral palsy and Autistic Spectrum Disorders.

Scholarships for the Postgraduate Schemein Rehabilitation Sciences

MSc in Manipulative Physiotherapy NG Wai Lun Edmund

MSc in Manipulative Physiotherapy TONG Wai Kit

MSc in Occupational Therapy CHAN Kar Lock

MSc in Sports Physiotherapy WONG Ka Ki

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AUTUMN / 2008

Academic Visioning Tour to AUSTRALIAProf. Alice Jones, Dr. Kevin Kwong and Dr. Hector Tsang

As representatives ofthe Department ofRehabilitation Sciences,we participated in theAcademic Visioning Tour tothe University of Sydney,which was organised byour Faculty of Health andSocial Sciences, in earlyApril 2008. At theUniversity of Sydney, ourhosts introduced us totheir new structure andexplained the advantagesof their new strategy offaculty management. We also noted that whilethey currently maintain the undergraduate programmes, in the future,professional education willmove to postgraduate studies (e.g. Graduate Entry Master (GEM)or doctoral programmes), although we were already aware of thisglobal trend and its implications for the development of our PTand OT programmes. In the field of research, inter-professionalresearch was the key emphasis. We visited the Brain and MindResearch Institute and the Centre for Education and Research onAgeing. We were impressed by their true inter-professional andinter-disciplinary research. The laboratories were adequatelyfunded and sufficient infrastructure supports their research,which has clinical facilities and laboratories under the same roof.Theresearch facilities were effectively run by capable scientists,research personnel and clinical staff.

Alice and Kevin made a detour to include MelbourneUniversity as part of their visit. Similar information about thedevelopment of professional programmes was received from Prof. Meg Morris, Head of the Physiotherapy School. By 2010, all undergraduate and GEM courses at Melbourne University willcease to run and only postgraduate programmes leading to adoctoral degree will be offered.

Dr. Linda Denehy, Deputy Head of the PhysiotherapySchool at Melbourne University, kindly arranged for us to visit theAustin Hospital. We were received by Ms. Cathy Nall, Director ofPhysiotherapy (former President of the Australian PhysiotherapyAssociation). We were impressed by her efforts to proactively promote physiotherapy clinical services. She described how lobbying stakeholders can be done in a professional manner byusing scientific evidence, and how different disciplines can workcollegially to maximise benefits to clients.

In parallel with our trip to Melbourne, Hector visited theOT programme at the University of Queensland. In his one-day

visit, he met AssociateProfessor Sylvia Rodger,Head of the Division ofOccupational Therapy, andthe OT faculty members. He gave a presentationabout the academic programmes of our department at PolyU anddescribed the directions ofresearch at the East-meets-West Centre. Sylvia and her staff were intrigued byour research into oriental therapeutics, and theyshowed an interest inexploring the possibilitiesof both student and staffexchange. Sylvia suggestedthe possibility of applyingto the University of

Queensland Travel Award Scheme to bring her staff to our department for research collaboration in the area of ergonomicsand mindful interventions for pain management.

We enjoyed and gained from our experiences during this visit, which truly reflected the Chinese saying"Walking ten thousand miles has far more benefit than readingten thousand books".

This successful tour gave us an excellent opportunity to exchange ideas with educators and researchers in the rehabilitation sciences in Australia. There was much valuableadvice and sound ideas given that we could learn from and share with our colleagues.

Staff Activities

Dr. Sylvia Rodger, Head of Occupational Therapy Division,University of Queensland.

A P R I L 2 0 0 8

Clinical Specialty :

Occupational Medicine Care Service

So TW Patrick, Occupational Medicine Care Manager / Occupational Therapist I

After graduating in 1989, I worked in various settings andgained experience in providing work rehabilitation service for different types of client, including those with mental, musculoskeletal, neurological and medical conditions. Duringthese years of practice, I gradually realised the importance ofmaking connections between the various parties (injured worker,doctor and employer) in helping the injured workers to return totheir previous jobs. The sooner injured workers can return towork, the less likely they are to develop long-term disability; thisalso benefits the employer because there is less potential reduction in the productivity of the workforce.

Last year, Ijoined the OccupationalMedicine team of theKowloon West clustersand started to offer an in-house rehabilitationand preventive care service to HA (HospitalAuthority) staff working inthis cluster. The team consisted of an occupational medicinephysician, an occupationaltherapist, a physiotherapist and nurses. A case management approachwas adopted, so, in addition to offering anOccupationalRehabilitation service, Iwork as a case managerand coordinate variousaspects for the workersduring their return-to-work process.

An in-house case manager can ensure that the earliestintervention is provided for workers after an injury because theadministrative procedures are relatively easy to streamline withinthe company. Early intervention includes making an accuratediagnosis and prescribing appropriate and timely treatment andrehabilitation. Intervention also includes liaising with the employer and evaluating the demands of the job that the injuredworker is required to perform, so that feasibility for return towork at different stages of recovery can be assessed. Therefore,the earliest possible time for the workers safe return to work can be ensured.

Through detailed job analysis and accurate evaluationof a worker's current work capacity, different options for adaptingthe duties associated with a job can then be implemented, whichmay include duty modification and re-design of the working environment or tools. The key concept of this approach is to coordinate the efforts of the worker, the employer and the healthservice provider, to help the injured worker to return to work assoon as the clinical condition becomes stable. Support from theworker's supervisor is crucial for the arrangement of suitableduties for workers who still have functional limitations.Continuous monitoring of the worker's progress is another

essential component of the return-to-work arrangement, whichmust always be progressive in nature. More challenging jobduties can be assigned as the injured worker's capacity for workincreases, as a result of occupational rehabilitation and workingin real-life situations. In other words, the horizon of rehabilitationis extended from the clinical sector to the workplace.

In conclusion, the role of the occupational therapist inthe field of case management and the possibilities for extendingour service from the clinical setting into the workplace deservethorough exploration for our future development. I believe suchan approach will bring positive results to our clients, both in functional recovery and in prevention of long-term disability.

Team member of Occupational Medicine Care Service of Kowloon West Cluster, Hospital Authority

A new HORIZON in Occupational Rehabilitation

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AUTUMN / 2008

Teaching Statistics to RS Students:

Dr. Marco Pang

It is always a challenge to teach statistics to RS students (RS 376 Critical Inquiry II)! Many students find it difficult torelate statistics to daily clinical practice, which partly contributes to the lack of interest in this subject.

To gain somenew ideas for improvingthe learning experienceand outcomes in thiscourse, I attended the e-scholars programmethat was organised by the EducationDevelopment Centre(EDC). The single mostimportant factor that I learned from the programme is "interactivity". I workedwith the colleagues fromthe EDC and developedan interactive e-learningplatform, which is usedto supplement the in-class lecture time (i.e. a blendedmodel). The platform has two key features:1. Pre-class learning tasks: The week before a scheduled

lecture, the students are required to read relevant chaptersin the textbook and then answer a few basic, open-endedquestions online. These online tasks aim to encourage thestudents to prepare for the in-class session.

2. Post-class quizzes: In the week after each lecture, the students are required to complete a few multiple choicequestions. The main purpose of these quizzes is to assessthe students' level of understanding of the material on

a weekly basis, so that, well before the examinations, any difficulty can be detected early and remedial action can betaken promptly.

These tasksgive the students more opportunity to think about the material (i.e.to interact with thecourse material). Thestudents are alsoencouraged to engage ingroup discussions while completing these tasks(i.e. peer interaction).

Feedback is given in the following lecture (i.e. instructor-student interaction).

This blended learning model is highly successful. A formal evaluation in May 2008 provided extremely positivefeedback. I personally found this learning model extremelyuseful and you might also want to try it in your course!

Prof. Chetwyn Chan delivered a speech at the commencement ceremony of the School

Prof. Chetwyn Chan was invitedto dinner by Prof. Florence Clarkand her family and friends

HEAD'S VISIT to the University of Southern California(14 May to 16 May 2008)

Visiting graduate students of theSchool of Occupational Scienceand Occupational Therapy

Meeting with Dr. James Gordon,Director of Biokinesiology andPhysical Therapy, at the Universityof Southern California

TheBlended Learning ModelDelegation of 17 people from Mainland Media visited theRehabilitation Clinic and Interviewed RS Olympic Volunteers

13 June

2008

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AUTUMN / 2008

Dr. Qing Wang and Dr. Xianna Guo

Prof. Woo delivered a lecture and conducted two workshops in sports medicine and biomechanics. Both the workshops and the lecture were well received and had excellent feedback. The audience came from various sectorsand included clinicians, medical professionals, rehabilitationprofessionals, and engineering professionals.

Prof. Woo first shared with us his rich experience in writing academic papers. Prof. Woo has published 290 refereed journal papers, 125 chapters for books, and morethan 700 abstracts, and has edited 10 books and 13 conference proceedings. This pre-lecture workshop was welcomed especially by young scholars. They asked manyquestions that arose from their experience when preparing

Pre-Lecture Workshop: How to Write a Good Research Paper and Get It Published

Post-Lecture Workshop: Biomechanical Studies in Animals and TheirApplication to Humans

Presenter of the Serena Yang Lecture Series, Prof. Savio Woo of the Universityof Pittsburgh, visited the RS Laboratories

Lecture: Future of Sports Medicine: Challenges for Science and Engineering to Keep Our Joints Healthy

research papers. Prof. Woo provided good suggestions on howto write a good research paper and get it published.

To cater for the very large group of participants, themain lecture and the post-lecture workshop were delivered inChiang Chen Studio Theatre, PolyU. During the presentations,Prof. Woo described the achievements of his research team infunctional tissue engineering for ligament healing and regeneration of the MCL and ACL, and the use of robotic technology to examine the function of ACL and MCLreplacement grafts. On the basis of previous results, Prof. Woohighlighted the possible challenges for science and engineering in sports medicine in the future. The discussion ofbiomechanical studies in animals and their applications to

It was an honour for us to have Prof. Savio L.-Y. Woo lead the Serena Yang Lecture Series in Rehabilitation Sciencesfrom 13-15 April 2008. Prof. Woo is Professor ofBioengineering and the Founder and Director of theMusculoskeletal Research Center at the University ofPittsburgh. His research interests include biomechanics;experimental, theoretical, and numerical analyses of thenonlinear material properties of biological tissues and newnonlinear viscoelastic theories for soft tissue; homeostasisof ligaments and tendons, and their responses followingchanges in the levels of applied stress and motion; and the methods of enhancing the healing of tendons, ligaments, and menisci.

SERENA YANG Lecture Series in Rehabilitation Sciences

15 April

2008

15 April

2008

13 April

2008

14 April

2008

humans was very intriguing and aroused a great deal of interest in the audience. The audience members who performanimal experiments were eager to know how to translate theirresults into human applications. Prof. Woo's presentationhelped the audience to see the right way to carry forwardexperimental results into clinical applications.

By sharing with Prof. Woo, we improved our skills in writing research papers and learned about the current directions of research in rehabilitation sciences, especially in sports medicine, and the proper methodology for basic research.

We are looking forward to the next Serena YangLecture Series in Rehabilitation Sciences.

13 April to 15 April 2008

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AUTUMN / 2008

Visit by delegates of the National University

of Malaysia

Visit by delegates of Mahidol University, Thailand

Visit by delegates of the China Rehabilitation Research Centre

Head being invited as Honorary Visiting Expert

under the Health Manpower Development Plan

of Ministry of Health, Singapore

13 May

2008

25 June

2008

28 May

2008

26 May -

3 June

2008

RS Activities

by Professor Birgitta LindquistOutcome-Based Learning among Healthcare Professionals

Faculty Based Review of

Prof. Cecilia Li, Joy Lau and Lee Pui Sze

Prof. Birgitta Lindquist, theex-Deputy Vice-Chancellor ofthe School of Health Sciencesat Jönköping University, wasappointed by the Faculty ofHealth and Social Sciences(FHSS) as a visiting professorfor the period 16 January to 10March 2008 for the Outcome-Based Education project. Shewas very enthusiastic abouteducation in the field of rehabilitation sciences.

During her consultation at the University, Prof. Lindquist looked into the curriculum of all undergraduate programmes offered by theFaculty of Health and Social Sciences. She also helped all of theprogramme leaders to direct their programmes towards outcome-based approaches. To facilitate the achievement of the objectivesof this visit, Prof. Lindquist visited all of the departments andschools within the FHSS, observed tutorials, visited local hospitals and met with managers, senior staff, graduates and students in different settings.

She was affiliated with our department for about twoweeks and met the OT and PT teaching team. She also visited

stakeholders of the two professions including theHospital Authority, non-government agencies andother academic partners, to discuss the level of competence of our graduates. Most of the feedback was positive.

At the end ofFebruary, she gave a talk toour colleagues aboutGerontology and gave a general overview of

Outcome-Based Education in FHSS. She made many constructive suggestions in the areas of internationalisation, bridging the gap between academia and clinical practice, instruments for assessing students' perception of university teaching, and communication between stakeholders and the FHSS.

Prof. Lindquist was very impressed by what she discovered during her visit to the FHSS; in particular, the areas ofresearch that demonstrate international standards and ourdegree of commitment. We are very grateful that Prof. Lindquistvisited our department and we would like to extend our warmestthanks to her for her contribution.

By Sharon Tsang and Lee Pui Sze

Over 50 students from the Physiotherapy (PT), OccupationalTherapy (OT) and Sports Science programmes at The Universityof Santo Tomas, the Philippines, visited the Department ofRehabilitation Sciences, PolyU between 14 May and 16 May2008. The delegates toured the PolyU campus, visited the

Rehabilitation Clinicand the STAR programme (SportsTraining andRehabilitationProgramme), and wereshown around theresearch laboratoriesand teaching facilitiesof the PT and OT

Therapy programmes. They visited a number of local clinicalsettings, including the Hong Kong Society of Rehabilitation,the Jockey Club Centre for Osteoporosis Care and Control atthe Chinese University of Hong Kong, the OccupationalTherapy Department at Tuen Mun Hospital, and the New LifePsychiatric Rehabilitation Association. So they saw a widerange of the health care services that are available in HongKong. This valuable visit provided an opportunity for culturalexchange between the two Universities, and we hope that wewill be able to collaborate more with the University of SantoTomas health disciplines in the future.

We would like to take this opportunity to thankeveryone at PolyU and the clinical settings, and the studentsand staff from the University of Santo Tomas for making this a wonderful visit.

The University of Santo Tomas VISIT to PolyU

The Sports Training And Rehabilitation(STAR) Programme

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AUTUMN / 2008

Placement in CANADAAnthony Chung Cheuk Yin

Year Three Occupational Therapy Student

Meeting in an Irish pub; an afternoon appointment at alocal café; a dress-down preference for jeans and a polo shirt;meeting people of different ethnicities and clinical diagnosesin their homes; driving a full-size sports car and going 150km/hr on the highway to visit a client who lives on the opposite side of town; travellingover a hundred kilometres a day andworking eight hours non-stop. Theseare only glimpses into my life overthe last eight weeks.

I had my final clinicalplacement in an OT agency calledCOTA Health, which is an OTassociation based in Toronto,Canada. Very often, the clients werereferred to COTA Health OT for homesafety assessments, but our rolealso included prescribing assistive

devices and mobility aids. Additionally, OT is responsible for making the appropriate referral to other disciplines, namely physiotherapists, speech and languagetherapists, or social workers. My role as a student was to conduct assessments, such as COTA's SAFER-home

assessment and the widely used mini-mental state examination(MMSE), and my recommendations for treatment methods and aids selection were valued by my supervisor. I was also invited to participate in seminars, which wereorganised by an assistive device vendor, about the most up-to-datetechnology for pressure relievingequipment and mobility devices.Overall, my final placement was definitely an enlightening experience.

Student's Activities

It was an honour to represent the Occupational Therapy stu-dents of Hong Kong in my two-month clinical placement at theAustralian Government department called CRS Australia(Liverpool branch), in New South Wales.

CRS Australia is a government organisation that aims tohelp people return to work. To effectively coordinate all of the services provided to job seekers, a case management approachhas been introduced in CRS so that a multi-disciplinary team,which consists of a social worker, a registered psychologist, anoccupational therapist and an exercise physiologist, is involvedin helping job seekers to return to work. A case manager is allo-cated to each job seeker and assists the job seeker to get a job,by referring the job seeker to the appropriate services or forother interventions.

The staff members were very supportive. Whenever Ihad any problems in managing a case or writing a report, theywere very willing to share their strategies and skills with me.Such a good learning environment facilitated my learningprocess and enriched my clinical experience. The working cultureprovided a high level of autonomy, and I was encouraged to man-age my own timetable and to be flexible according to my caseload. This gave me a valuable opportunity to learn and to explorea more independent way of working.

During my placement in Australia, I stayed with a localAustralian family (thanks to my parents!). This was the best way

Suki CheungYear Three Occupational Therapy Student

for me to experience a different culture. The retired couple I wasstaying with were so friendly and helpful. They took care of meand drove me around Sydney so that I could leave my footprints inplaces such as Wildlife Parks, beaches and tourist spots. AlthoughI did not stay with them for a long time, I really miss them!

Having an overseas placement in Australia is definitely a good choice for any of you who are ready to gain an extraordinary and memorable experience during your time at university.

Once you have made up your mind to experience thisadventure, just do it!

OVERSEAS placement in CRS Australia

Driving in Toronto

Suki and her colleagues

Dr. Gladys Cheing

Dr. Stephen Wegener is Director of the Division ofRehabilitation Psychology and Neuropsychology at JohnsHopkins University, USA. He visited our department from 22 May to 24 May 2008. He delivered one open lecture on 22 May 2008 and a workshop on 24 May 2008. These eventswere co-organised with the Hong Kong Pain Society and weresupported by the Hong Kong Physiotherapy Association andthe Hong Kong Occupational Therapy Association.

The lecture was attended by 160 people. The titlewas "Self management to improve rehabilitation outcomesfor people with chronic pain". The audience was from a multidisciplinary background including physiotherapists,occupational therapists, medical doctors, nurses, clinicalpsychologists, social workers and students. Dr. Wegener's

lecture emphasised the importance of patient-centred caremodels and gave practical hints for promoting self-management by patients.

The workshop was over-subscribed and we had toturn down some late applicants. The topic was "Motivationalinterviewing to improve participation in rehabilitation". Alively demonstration made the workshop truly interactive. Hesuccessfully motivated most audience members to speak upand practice motivational interviewing techniques on eachother during the workshop, and he demonstrated motivational interviewing skills on clinical cases.

The Department of Rehabilitation Sciences is nowfurther collaborating with Johns Hopkins University.

Dr. Wegener (centre), with Prof. Chetwyn Chan (right) andDr. Gladys Cheing (left)

Dr. Wegener (second from the right), with Board members of theHong Kong Pain Society

Dr. Wegener (centre), with Executive members of the Hong KongPain Society, HKPA and HKOTA

The audience actively participated in Dr. Wegener's workshop

Dr. Stephen Wegener's VISIT

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AUTUMN / 2008

News

Warm WELCOMEto

New Staff

FAREWELLWhen Prof. Thomas Wong, Dean of the Faculty of Health andSocial Sciences, left PolyU, RS staffheld a farewell lunch for him. We wish Prof. Wong every success in his future endeavours!

Miss Avis Leung, Assistant Marketing Officer

The role of physiotherapy in

the Occupational Medicine Care ServiceEdwin Lee

Senior PhysiotherapistCare Manager, Occupational Medicine Care Service

New Territories East Cluster

The Occupational Medicine Care Service (OMCS) has been piloted in three clusters (KWC, NTEC and NTWC) sinceNovember 2005 and is expected to cover all of the clusterswithin the Hospital Authority (HA) by 2008. The service aimsto demonstrate its commitment to staff health by offering aprompt medical consultation, early investigations, if needed,and holistic and patient-centred rehabilitation. The hallmarksof the programme involve patient (staff ) advocacy, consistentand close follow-up by a team of dedicated physicians andcare managers, prompt and holistic rehabilitation, and continuous dialogue between relevant parties. Because of thevarious constraints, the focus of OMCS is mainly on internalclients at the moment.

Musculoskeletal injuries account for the largest proportion of time-loss injuries in the HA, and that is where

the OMCS can support the physiotherapist's role in the management of these occupational musculoskeletal disorders. With their knowledge of soft tissue physiology,ergonomics and rehabilitative skills, physiotherapists arewell positioned to offer occupational rehabilitation to theclients of OMCS. The physiotherapy contributions to the service depend very much on an integrated workplace-basedand work-focused approach in clinical management. Thephysiotherapists experience in functional capacity evaluationand empowering patients so that they have appropriatebiopsychosocial skills make the job easier. To make the service successful, the physiotherapists must collaborate andwork synergistically with relevant stakeholders to expeditestaff recovery, reduce disability and prevent injury.

Yang Xiuli, gold medal winner for judo, with Dr. Amy Fu,Physiotherapist of the China Judo Team

Xian Dongmei, gold medal winner for judo,with Dr. Amy Fu, Physiotherapist of the ChinaJudo Team

Tong Wen, gold medal winner for judo, with Dr. Amy Fu,Physiotherapist of the China Judo Team

Boxing gold medallists, Zou Shiming and Zhang Xiaoping,with Dr. Amy Fu