Physiotherapy Report - Visit to Suva and Lautoka
MAY 28th - JUNE 6th 2008

LAUTOKA
Monday June 2nd

  • Introduced students to Physiotherapy dept.
  • Discussed weeks programme as email EM sent was not replied to.
  • Negotiated teaching sessions and explained weeks format to head of PT- Caroline Taylor.
  • Spoke with Lautoka Hand PT's about caseload.
  • Hand patients x3 for EM booked to review- subsequently sent onto the fracture clinic.
  • Attended part of the ward round.
  • Spoke with ward sisters about seeing post op patients together for dressing changes.
  • Followed on to theOutpatients clinic.
  • Students in clinic and with local PT's.
  • Left clinic to go to Popular Furniture to purchase crutches.

Tuesday June 3rd
  • Met with plasterman Seta to discuss crutches lending pool
  • Unpacked donations in store room and allocated them to relevant areas and explained purpose. For e.g. toilet seat raisers to Orthopaedic NUM (seen in store cupboard at end of week- sadly).
  • Text books on hand injuries used by Seta, as well as fibreglass plaster and knee braces.
  • Thermoplastic taken to PT dept, very much appreciated. Around 30kg of thermoplastic, some full sheets donated by Surgical Synergies, and the remainder in pieces from the NSW public hospital hand therapy group
  • Went to Popular furniture to arrange payment of crutches. Called Rose Whitton to work out how they would be paid for.
  • $F2500 donated by Rosies Holidays, bought 49 pairs, 46 adult and 3 childrens for lending pool. Also picked up receipt book for lending pool to be run and marker pens to label each pair or crutches.
  • Discuss with students teaching for the week.
Wednesday June 4th
  • Met students towards the end of their talk to PT dept on bed exercises.
  • On ward round EM saw post op hand surgery patients seen with local physiotherapist on the ward and with orthopaedic nurse.
  • Lengthy discussion physiotherapists, about the running of the PT department, and she expressed the option EM has previously been aware of: the local Lautoka PT staff departments concern with the manager head of PT.
  • PT staff feel that the running is not always effective with regards to staff allocation- short staffed and staff not well prioritised, trouble with resources being locked in head PT's room with difficult access eg splint pan, donated text books, and general day to day issues. Staff have tried to take these concerns to the Director of Clinical Services, Jemesa, but have so far had little success.
  • PM Outpatients clinic with the PT students produced template plastic splints to be used in the OT for position of safety and for flexor tendon injuries – These can be later converted in Physiotherapy to new splints but it has the benefit of having POSI splints with MCP jts at 90* and avoids wasting plaster which is of poor quality and tends to deform before it has set.
  • Local PT are aware of keeping the pool of splints stocked.


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The conscientious Outpatient/ Hand Physiotherapists in Lauotka-Rinesh and Shofeen reviewing their manual Hand Log book which captures all Hand patient data before assisting a hand patient with digital stiffness
Hand patient with digital stiffness
Part of the enormous quantity of donated thermoplastic co-ordinated by EM from the NSW Public hospital hand Therapist group

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