MEDIA RELEASE
24 July, 2014
New Zealand Journal of Physiotherapy out now
The following are summaries of items appearing in the July 2014 issue of the New Zealand Journal of Physiotherapy, the
official Journal of Physiotherapy New Zealand. The Journal is open access and is available at
www.physiotherapy.org.nz/journal
Editorial
Why you should attend the World Confederation of Physical Therapy Congress in Singapore in 2015, by Professor Aimee
Stewart, Chair International Scientific Committee WCPT Congress 2015.
Research reports
A group exercise programme for people at risk from type II diabetes run as a physiotherapy student clinical placement is
beneficial: a qualitative study, by Erin van Bysterveldt, Simon Davey, Naomi Douglas, Robert Liu, Linda Robertson, Jenny
Conroy, Chris Higgs, Leigh Hale. This qualitative study evaluated the perceived benefits of a group exercise and
education programme for the management of type II diabetes and its role in the development of skills and
knowledge for undergraduate physiotherapy students.
Patient reported benefits of hydrotherapy for arthritis, by Peter Larmer, Paula Kersten, Jordy Dangan. The evidence for
the effectiveness of hydrotherapy as an intervention for arthritis sufferers is varied and it has been suggested that
the outcome measures used in previous studies may not measure the outcomes that patients consider important. A
qualitative study was undertaken to identify patients’ perceived benefits.
Literature Review
Hydrotherapy outcome measures for people with arthritis: A systematic review, by Peter J Larmer, Jess Bell Daniel
O’Brien, Jordyn Dangen, Paula Kersten. Exercise has been shown to be effective in decreasing pain, improving function
and performance of activities of daily living in people with arthritis. While hydrotherapy is often suggested as an
exercise intervention, there is little evidence that it is more effective than other forms of exercise.
Ethical guidelines and the use of social media and text messaging in health care: a review of literature, by Rachel
Basevi, Duncan Reid, Rosemary Godbold. Social media is prevalent and increasing in usage in healthcare. Whilst
guidelines have been developed to cover the issues concerning this topic, few have been based on an ethical framework.
The purpose of this work was to undertake a review of the literature pertaining to social media use in health care and
physiotherapy in particular.
ML Roberts Prize Winner
This ML Roberts prize is awarded for the best 4th year undergraduate research project at the School of Physiotherapy,
University of Otago. The 2013 prize winner was a narrative review written by Nichole Gillespie, Jaimee Northcott, Laura
Due, John Lim, Peter Chiu, Gisela Sole titled Age-related changes of the glenoid labrum.
Clinically Applicable Paper
Treatment of non-traumatic rotator cuff tears: A randomised controlled trial with one-year clinical results, by Tom
Hoffman. The purpose of this randomised controlled trial was to compare the effectiveness of three interventions for the
treatment of non-traumatic supraspinatus tendon tears in patients aged 55 years or older.
Invited Clinical Commentary
Strength training after stroke: Rationale, evidence and potential implementation barriers for physiotherapists, by Nada
EJ Signal. Deficits in muscles strength are common after stroke and have a strong relationship to the functional
limitations people experience. This clinical commentary discusses the evidence for strength training to improve strength
and increase function in people after stroke.
The official journal of Physiotherapy New Zealand can be viewed on www.physiotherapy.org.nz/journal
ENDS.