Physiotherapy

Contacts

Noula Gibson | Research Coordinator

Noula.Gibson@health.wa.gov.au

Departmental Overview

Physiotherapists at PCH work with children and adolescents and their families to provide evidence based management in areas including neurology/neurodevelopmental, rehabilitation, respiratory, musculoskeletal, oncology and other complex illnesses. Our clinical work and research is patient-focused to minimise the effects of physical impairment, maximize functional mobility, physical activity and participation, enhance quality of life and facilitate timely discharge.  

Current National and International Research Collaborations

Physiotherapy research projects demonstrate a high level of research engagement, cross-fertilisation of medical specialties and showcase the local, national and international reputation of PCH physiotherapists.  Projects are driven by three priorities:

Research projects

Consumer need and focus

• Feasibility of delivering paediatric pain services via telehealth videoconferencing  - publication Journal of Pain Research
• Consumer informed pain assessments for people living with cerebral palsy – funded by Murdoch Children’s Research Institute
• Can aquatic physiotherapy improve aerobic capacity in adolescents with cerebral palsy? A feasibility study – two publications Clinical Rehabilitation
• Do targeted movement interventions improve pain and quality of life in children with dyskinetic cerebral palsy? A single subject research design
• Functional outcome following orthopaedic surgery for gait correction in children with Cerebral Palsy at an activity and participation level – in progress
• Using syringe infusion pumps Springfusors for the administration of intravenous antibiotics for children with CF at PCH (SIPS-CF) – in progress
• Wet cough in Aboriginal Children in North Western Australia – multiple publications, PCH Foundation and WA Health Translation Network fund for the Aboriginal Children’s Excellence lung health study
• A Functional Disorders project incorporating the lived experience as well as health care delivery – in progress.

Multidisciplinary and collaborative 

• Outcomes of a moderate intensity interdisciplinary pain program – International and national presentations
• Field testing of International Classification of Diseases 11th Revision codes for chronic pain in children and adolescents – World first collaboration with the International Association for the Study of Pain Task Force
• Evidence-based guidelines for prevention and management of respiratory disease in young people with cerebral palsy – publication Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology.
• Can RESPiratory hospital Admissions in children with cerebral palsy be reduced?: A feasibility randomized Controlled Trial (RESP-ACT) – in progress
• Development of the minimum dataset for the National Registry for Selective Dorsal Root Rhizotomy in Australia – publication BMJ Open
• 10 year Review of the Hip Surveillance Guidelines for children with cerebral palsy
• Does a diagnosis of Tracheobronchomalacia affect health outcomes in children with cystic fibrosis? – in progress.
• Does the use of a long slow inhalation improve relative and absolute quantities of antibiotics deposited in the peripheral lung in patients with moderate to severe cystic fibrosis lung disease? – Best Paper Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand 2019.

Building physiotherapists’ research capacity

• Feasibility of a physical test battery to evaluate outcomes involving quantitative sensory testing and accelerometry – International and local presentations
• A systematic review to identify functional outcome measures used in orthopaedic surgery for gait correction for children with cerebral palsy – in progress
• European Respiratory Statement on Tracheomalacia and Bronchomalacia in Children Taskforce – published
• The role of exercise intensity in children with type II diabetes: A scoping review – grant application submitted to Diabetes WA.