Editorial do JOSPT reforça o novo perfil do fisioterapeuta e define modelos para o futuro!

[

editor’s note ] JOSPT Perspectives for Patients: A New FeatureGUY G. SIMONEAU,
Editor-in-Chief PT, PhD, ATCJ Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2011;41(2):42. doi:10.2519/jospt.2011.0102

A

As a result, in physical therapy as in nearly every other area of healthcare, patients are pushing their providers to help them understand and act on their options.

Professional journals have always had as a core mission to inform clinicians about the latest advances in evidence and practice. But we can take that mission one step further and help clinicians to effectively communicate these developments to their patients. In fact, in JOSPT’s most recent reader survey, clinicians ranked "providing practical information for patients" higher than any other new feature we might add to the print and online Journal.

Accordingly, in this month’s issue we launch a new feature: Perspectives for Patients. This single-page feature will offer clinicians and patients a credible source of new information derived from a published article and explain how it affects patient care. Perspectives for Patients is written for the lay person, and consists of 3 main sections—a summary of the pathology or healthcare condition addressed in the research, new insights from the published study, and practical advice the patient can use—accompanied by 1 or more illustrations. And, of course, we make clear on this page that the information and recommendations presented are intended as a guide only and are not a substitute for seeking proper advice for health conditions.

Published following the article to which it relates, this page is offered by JOSPT as a public service and can be reproduced noncommercially for distribution at therapists’ offices, in clinics and hospitals, and in other healthcare facilities. The material is also available at no charge on the Journal’s website, www.jospt.org, in a new PERSPECTIVES FOR PATIENTS section of the site. This feature can be read online and downloaded as an Adobe PDF document that can be printed and shared with colleagues and patients.

This issue’s Perspectives for Patients, printed on page 51, is based on a research report (Rômulo Renan-Ordine et al, "Effectiveness of Myofascial Trigger Point Manual Therapy Combined With a Self-Stretching Protocol for the Management of Plantar Heel Pain: A Randomized Controlled Trial," page 43). This Perspectives piece on heel pain describes the typical pain pattern of individuals with plantar fasciitis and provides demographics on how often the condition is encountered. It summarizes the study’s principal finding: adding soft tissue work of the calf musculature to a stretching regimen can more readily relieve heel pain. The page also details and illustrates the calf and foot stretches that a patient can employ and provides an example of a trigger-point pressure release technique that a physical therapist can perform.

As we develop this feature and begin to build a library of material clinicians can share with their patients, we expect to feature high-quality research studies that demonstrate the effective application of physical therapy.

Perspectives for Patients, based on published articles, is designed and written through a collaboration of the Journal’s editors and staff in an effort to best translate research into practical information for both clinicians and patients. We welcome your comments about Perspectives for Patients at jospt@jospt.org.

42 | february 2011 | volume 41 | number 2 | journal of orthopaedic & sports physical therapyrguably, one of the most difficult challenges facing clinicians today is keeping up with rapid developments in musculoskeletal rehabilitation, health, and wellness. Not only is a significant volume of evidence and best practice created daily in the field, but, thanks to the Internet, patients have become more knowledgeable about their conditions and available treatments.