Institut for Mekanisk Diagnostik & Terapi

Forskningsfond

Formål:
 

Institut for Mekanisk Diagnostik & Terapi ønsker hermed at støtte danske fysioterapeuter, der vil forske i Mekanisk Diagnostik & Terapi. Til dette formål oprettes:

IMDT’s Forskningsfond af 2002

Statutter:

 

1. Ansøgere til fonden skal være fysioterapeuter med interesse for mekanisk diagnostik &  terapi.
2. Ansøgere til fonden uden en universitetsgrad (Master, Ph.D) eller en lignende grad vil have fortrinsret til fondens midler.
3. Det arbejde, som ligger til grund for en eventuel tildeling, må ikke have været publiceret som en original artikel i medicinske tidsskrifter. Er der tvivl herom, lægges fondens bestyrelse afgørelse til grund.
4. Tildelingen af støtte ydes til forskning som forventes publiseret.
5. Ansøgningsfrist til fondens midler er 1. juni i det pågældende kalenderår.
6. Der fremsendes et ansøgningsskema og en protokol/projektbeskrivelse til fondsbestyrelsen sammen med forfatterens navn, adresse samt cv.
7.  De modtagne ansøgninger behandles efterfølgende af fondsbestyrelsen.
8.  Besked vedr. fondsbestyrelssens beslutning meddeles ansøgerne 1. september i ansøgningsåret.
9. Modtageren/modtagerne af fondsmidlerene forpligter sig til at præsentere sit/deres forskningsprotokol/projektbeskrivelse mundtligt på det førstkommende årsmøde/generalforsamling.
10. Fondsbestyrelsen forbeholder sig ret til at afstå fra uddelingen af fondsmidler i de år, de ikke  finder egnede projekter i forhold til fondens formål.
11.  Modtageren/modtagernes navne offentliggøres i Fysioterapeuten samt i Instituttets Nyhedsjournal.

Ansøgning sendes til IMDT´s sekretær: info@mckenzie.dk

Ansøgningsskema kan hentes her 

McKenzie International Research Committee Bulletin:

A Call for Case Study or Case Series The majority of physical therapy international associations have recently embraced the concept of "evidence-based practice" or EBM. Subsequently the randomized control trial has become the predominant vehicle guiding evidence-based practice. The data obtained from these research trials have controlled recommendations published in systematic reviews and clinical guidelines. These recommendations may financially and politically influence our management and treatment of spinal patients. In addition, research grants are now typically awarded to those researchers proposing the most rigorous scientific projects. Yet despite all the political and scientific attention given to the randomized control trial (RCT), the RCT is not the only research design worthy of clinical consideration.

The McKenzie Research Committee met on November 15th and 16th 2002 and concluded that the reporting of the RCT is frequently incomplete. Many examples of inadequate reporting even in RCTs rated at high quality were cited. For example, Malmivaara's randomized controll trial investigating exercise for patients with acute low back pain was rated as one of the highest quality research papers by the Cochrane Collaboration. Yet the independent variable under investigation i.e. exercise was poorly defined. Exercise was operationally defined in Malmivaara's study as extension and lateral flexion bilaterally 10X each per hour regardless of symptomatic response. Even though this study met rigorous methodological design criteria, Malmivaara's results and conclusions are neither generalizable nor clinically appropriate for clinicians knowledgeable in mechanical diagnosis and treatment.

If physical therapists are being encouraged to practice and treat patients based on clinical guidelines established from systematic reviews of high quality randomized control trials, then the treatments under investigation must be clinically appropriate. Apparently there is a void in the literature that describes in specific detail what physical therapists, trained and experienced in mechanical diagnosis and treatment, do with their patients. Without such literature, we can not expect the international research community to understand the patient management we are so confident in and proud of. Unless we communicate clearly with other professionals about our body of knowledge and expertise, mechanical diagnosis and treatment will not be adequately investigated nor defined in future randomized trials.

The case study or case series is an important design to open dialogue and communication with others unfamiliar with mechanical diagnosis and treatment. During our November meeting the McKenzie Research Committee, after an extensive review on the current state of the McKenzie literature, unanimously agreed that 1) the case study design in peer review journals has been underutilized by clinicians practicing MDT and 2) the case study or case series remains an important research priority. As a result, the committee members decided that our deliberations should be disseminated to as many credentialed and diplomaed MDT clinicians as possible in the hope that our findings will lead to submissions of case studies for publication in peer review journals. Case studies for the lumbar, cervical, and extremity categories are required. More specifically the committee identified areas, which were felt to have the best opportunity for publication. Lumbar case studies explaining MDT for patients diagnosed with spondylolisthesis, stenosis, adolescent back pain, fibromyalgia, and non-responders were recommended. The cervical spine area of mechanical diagnosis and therapy has not been well published as of yet and lends itself to a number of areas considered to be important for case study publication including centralization, directional preference, differentiation of neck and shoulder or upper extremity symptoms. Extremity is a new area of potential investigation for MDT. It was felt that the faculty should submit case studies involving extremity MDT.

Information on how to prepare case studies for submission is available from the editor of the particular journal of interest. For instance, case report submissions to the journal Physical Therapy, must follow specific guidelines. The APTA recommends the manual "Writing Case Reports: A How-to Manual for Clinicians" to help authors prepare and submit a case study or case series. The case study should clearly describe the examination, classification, treatment intervention, and outcomes. Available evidence supporting the author's examination and treatment procedures should be clearly described and referenced. The McKenzie Research Committee will be an additional resource to assist authors with committed case study projects.

The McKenzie Research Committee is comprised of:

Ted Dreisinger, Ph.D. - Chair
Ron Donelson, MD
Betty Sindelar, PhD Marke Werneke, PT
Stephen May, PT
Uffe Lindstrom, PT

Questions may be addressed to:

Ted Dreisinger, PhD
Email:ted@dynamicrehab.com