Provincial forum highlights research in occupational rehab

Ninety-five delegates from across the province gathered at Edmonton?s Matrix Hotel on May 26 to listen, learn and share with some key researchers from the occupational rehabilitation community.

29 May 2012

Reaction from those who were at the first ever Alberta Occupational Rehabilitation Forum was, not surprisingly, quite similar. And that reaction was in the form of a question: "When's the next one?"

Ninety-five delegates from across the province gathered at Edmonton's Matrix Hotel on May 26 to listen, learn and share with some key researchers from the occupational rehab community at the inaugural Forum. Besides being interdisciplinary and interactive, the Forum brought clinicians and other stakeholders together to discuss current issues and hot topics. The focus was on advances and state-of-the-art developments in work rehabilitation to help ensure optimal functional and return-to-work outcomes following treatment.

Two world-renowned occupational rehab experts offered thought-provoking keynote lectures. Dr. Steven George from the University of Florida presented on the importance of being a 'psychologically informed clinician' and not relying solely on biomedical diagnoses and treatments. Dr. William Shaw from Liberty Mutual Research Institute's Centre for Disability Research presented highlights of research aimed at helping select the 'right rehabilitation treatment for the right client'. He showed several models that have been developed and discussed the development of computer-based decision support tools to help health care providers and case managers make better treatment decisions.

Local researchers who presented included Dr. Kelly Williams-Whitt from the University of Lethbridge (Social Capital and Return to Work), Dr. Tyler Amell from Centric Health (Proof of Concept for an Innovative Approach to Physical Job Demands Analysis), and Charlene Luciak-Corea from Alberta Health Services who, in partnership with Rene Huellstrung from WCB-Alberta Millard Health, discussed new approaches and guidelines for the rehabilitation of workers with shoulder injuries.

A variety of workshop sessions provided opportunities for discussion and networking. These were lead by University of Alberta researchers (Jorge Fuentes, Dr. Linda Carroll and Dr. Doug Gross) as well as clinicians and managers from Millard Health (Dr. Lori Rossi, Dr. Annette Colangelo, Dr. Riikka Niemelainen, and Heidi Knupp) and Alberta Health Services (Alexander Asante). Highlights of these sessions included discussions on the importance of therapeutic context during a treatment session, best practices in rehabilitation of individuals with Traumatic Brain Injury and Traumatic Psychological Injury, as well as the best methods for conducting return-to-work assessment.

The Forum represented a partnership between the University of Alberta's Department of Physical Therapy, the Workers' Compensation Board-Alberta and Millard Health, the primary organizers of the Forum. Alberta Innovates - Health Solutions provided financial support.

About the University of Alberta Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine
As the only free standing faculty of rehabilitation in Canada, the University of Alberta Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine balances its activities among learning, discovery and citizenship (including clinical practice). A research leader in musculoskeletal health, spinal cord injuries and common spinal disorders (back pain), the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine aims to improve the quality of life of citizens in our community. The three departments, Occupational Therapy (OT), Physical Therapy (PT) and Speech Pathology and Audiology (SPA) offer professional entry programs. The Faculty offers thesis-based MSc and PhD programs in Rehabilitation Science, attracting students from a variety of disciplines including OT, PT, SLP, psychology, physical education, medicine and engineering.