A quick WHS refresh
As World Day for Safety and Health at Work 2023 fast approaches on April 28, it’s a good time to review your work (occupational) health and safety matters to support a strong safety culture at work.
Work (occupational) health and safety (WHS) issues can feel overwhelming to navigate, let alone the added (and very real) pressure of wanting to mitigate any legal risks.
For example, do you know what the minimum WHS obligations are for you, whether you are an employer or employee? And do you know that while all Australian employers are bound by the Work, Health and Safety Act 2011 (the “Act”), Victorian employers are covered by another Act? These issues are all unpacked in this month’s WHS article.
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Why you should go to this year’s conference
Sustainability in the spotlight | 2023 Australian Podiatry Conference
The 2023 Australian Podiatry Conference is carrying out a range of sustainable practices to minimise its environmental footprint in the following ways.
Gone are the days of conference attendees sipping from single use cups and wading through reams of paper and other printed materials. Thank goodness for that.
So, what is the Australian Podiatry Association doing to support our environment at this year’s conference?
Reduce waste
One initiative is to steer clear of paper-based materials. Electronic signage will replace hard copy posters where possible, and instead of printing traditional brochures, conference materials will be distributed through APodA’s conference delegate app. This app will also replace a paper conference programme.
Nametags are set to also get an update in the name of sustainability. They will be made from more sustainable resources, and the plastic holder will no longer feature; to further reduce the environmental impact.
Digital opportunities
By switching to these digital platforms, delegates have new opportunities to interact with presenters in more meaningful ways; with live polling and Q&A opportunities available through the app. This ups the ante on opportunities to interact – not only face to face, but also virtually in a way that works for you and your schedule.
Go local
Conference logistics are also locally-based this year, to reduce mileage, minimise carbon emissions and mitigate related environmental impacts. This approach extends to supplier choices who are all local where possible. Not only that, but all conference equipment will be also hired locally to encourage re-use.
Feeling hungry? This year’s conference will feature a meat-free catering day to help cut down on the emission of greenhouse gases. Our local caterers – BCEC – source sustainable, local, and ethical produce. As an official #eatqld partner, they are passionate about promoting local and sustainable produce.
In fact, BCEC’s sustainable practices include running an organic food waste dehydrator that turns 54,000kg of food waste into 20kg of SoilFood™, a nutrient-rich, safe-to-handle soil enhancer. Best of all, this is donated to the City Parklands Services in Brisbane to be used in the South Bank and Roma Street Parklands. They also have a 764-panel 309.42 kilowatt solar system on their Grey Street building, generating 40% of Grey Street building’s power and 18% of the entire Centre’s power requirements. Pretty impressive – and a great example of how supplier choices can really make a difference to the environment.
Trees for exhibits
Last but not least, exhibitor stands will be more environmentally-friendly than ever before. Our supplier, Outstanding Displays, is equally proud to be ‘green’ and one way they honour this approach is through the ‘Trees for Displays’ initiative. For every exhibition booth and custom stand that they build, Outstanding Displays will plant one tree. Kudos to yet another awesome supplier at this year’s conference.
Be there
Together, we can build a better, more sustainable future for us all. Every bit counts between June 22 to 24, see you there! Head here to register – and don’t forget that early bird prices close on April 21!
Workforce: A hot topic
The Bared truth
Meet our speakers
In this Q+A series, we interview a diverse range of speakers who are scheduled to speak at the Australian Podiatry Conference, which takes place in Brisbane between 22 to 24 June, 2023.
Meet Dr. Sarah Stewart from the Department of Podiatry, Auckland University of Technology in New Zealand.
Tell us about your presentation.
‘The patient experience of gout’ presentation will provide an overview of gout, including its pathophysiology and clinical presentation in the lower limb. There is a particular focus on the perceptions that people with gout have about their disease, and how it is managed.
Is there one particular angle in your presentation that you are most excited about?
Gout is often seen as a self-inflicted illness associated with negative stigma, that may lead to inaccurate beliefs about gout and how it is managed. Yet a lot of people in Australia, and here in Aotearoa New Zealand, have gout. Prevalence is particularly high among indigenous populations due to a genetic predisposition to high blood urate levels.
I believe we, as podiatrists, can play a key role in shifting the conversation about gout being caused by dietary-related factors, to the important role that the kidneys and urate-lowering medications have in reducing the frequency and severity of gout flares.
Can you share some information on your workshop?
The ‘Effective management of gout’ workshop focuses on how the effective prevention of gout requires taking long-term urate-lowering medication, despite gout flares being temporary. Gout is a serious long-term condition. This workshop will unpack common misinformation about the management of gout, so that you can feel confident that you are providing the best possible care and education to your patients.
What do you wish more podiatrists understood about this topic?
Many of us don’t realise that the cause of gout is 90 per cent genetics. Diet plays a very small role –only about 10 per cent. A lot of people with gout are faced with uncertainty about the cause and treatment of their disease. And the conflicting, and sometimes inaccurate, information that they’re exposed to – doesn’t help.
This information comes not only from friends, family, and the web, but also us as healthcare providers! Using diet alone to manage gout places the patient at a high risk for continued gout flares and joint damage, which can have huge impacts when the lower limb is involved.
Where can podiatrists find out more about you, and this topic?
My current list of publications is here and I can be contacted on sarah.stewart@aut.ac.nz
Meet Ian Griffiths Sports Podiatrist & Lecturer in Sports & Exercise Medicine from Pure Sports Medicine and Queen Mary University of London.
Tell us about your presentation.
Called, ‘Should we consider colour when prescribing foot orthoses?’, this presentation addresses how colour is a very easily modifiable prescription variable when prescribing foot orthoses; yet this is seemingly ignored or overlooked by many.
The presentation and workshop aims to discuss the potential value in deeper consideration of orthoses colour, to hopefully encourage people to think about how colour psychology may apply to podiatry practice.
Is there one particular angle in your presentation that you are most excited about?
I am very excited to hear the thoughts and opinions on this topic from podiatrists in Australia, as all of the data I have collected so far has only been from UK based clinicians. I’m also looking forward to interacting with podiatrists from different special interests outside of my own to see if they think applicability will be similar across the varying areas of podiatric practice.
Where can podiatrists find out more about you and this topic?
All of my contact details can be found here.
Meet Dr Brooke Patterson, a physiotherapist from La Trobe University Sport and Exercise Medicine Research Centre.
Tell us about your presentation.
Called, ‘The role of health and exercise professionals implementing injury prevention programs in community sport’, this presentation will result in attendees being able to:
- Identify the role of health, sport, and science professionals, including podiatrists in preventing lower-limb injuries in community sport.
- Describe the key components of an injury prevention program and be able to access evidence-based resources for different sports.
- Identify the contextual factors that may influence injury prevention implementation strategies.
- Practice delivering an injury prevention program for a community football team.
Can you share some information on your workshop?
Titled, ‘How you can implement injury prevention programs in community sport’, my workshop provides a practical adjunct to the presentation – to further develop the above learning outcomes. I will be showing workshop participants how to use the Prep to Play injury prevention program , which is currently undergoing evaluation in over 2500 women and girls who play community football in Victoria. The trial protocol is here.
Is there one particular angle in your presentation and workshop that you are most excited about?
I am really excited to empower podiatrists to use their skills to get involved in delivering injury prevention, education and practical training in community sport. They have the skills to prevent and manage lower-limb injuries, whether it be via exercise-based injury prevention programs, taping, rehab exercises, load management and/or general health advice. It is a great opportunity to work with other health and exercise professionals.
What do you wish more podiatrists understood about this topic?
There are many mutual benefits for the club, the clinicians, and clinics. Community clubs love local experts and are quite often willing to pay for services, particularly if it is related to player health and safety. If not, we know we can’t prevent all injuries, and inevitably injured players will walk through the clinic door. Plus, it is lots of fun and rewarding to be involved in your local community.
Meet Dermatology Registrar Prue Gramp from the Gold Coast University Hospital in Queensland.
Tell us about your presentation.
Called, ‘Palmoplantar Psoriasis’, this presentation discusses the subtypes of palmoplantar psoriasis – including hyperkeratotic palmoplantar psoriasis, palmoplantar pustulosis and acrodermatitis continua of hallopeau. We will address the varied treatment modalities available, including practical tips for patients and an in-depth look at topical therapies.
Is there one particular angle in your presentation that you are most excited about?
Palmoplantar psoriasis is a subtype of psoriasis that can be difficult to treat. It can require multimodality therapies including topicals, phototherapy and systemic treatments. We will discuss the topical treatments in detail, including over the counter and prescription treatments.
What do you wish more podiatrists understood about this topic?
Psoriasis is a condition of koebnerisation, meaning that new plaques or worsening of existing plaques can occur in sites of trauma. We would support regular fine debridement over more extensive or aggressive debridement. Podiatrists need to be aware of this to minimise trauma which could potentially worsen a patient’s disease.
Don’t miss out
Register now to see these speakers in action at the upcoming Australian Podiatry Conference that runs between April 22 to 24 in Brisbane. Early bird tickets close soon!
Question of the month
Are you an APodA member? Then you’ll want to look at this month’s question of the month which answers the latest question on whether business owners have a responsibility to comply with a range of state and federal regulations – when they set up a podiatry clinic. There is also a helpful ‘new podiatry clinic’ checklist at this link; ready for members to download.
These monthly questions are compiled by our member services team who take multiple calls, five days a week, to ensure accurate information is being given to our members when it comes to complex queries such as:
- Whether a patient can access clinical notes
- What required documents need to be legally sent back to a patient’s doctor after a first visit
- Whether it’s necessary to complete a service agreement for a self managed NDIS participant.
All of these questions are answered here – and answered via APodA’s regular member-only emails.
Capturing allied health on film
There is always scope to promote the role of allied health in our communities, so it is encouraging to see videos such as this one, which do just that.
NSW Health has created a video which allied health professionals should be proud to share.
Called ‘Allied Health – every step of the way’ it shows the depth and breadth of professionals who work in the allied health sector, with podiatrists in the spotlight at the 2:50 mark.
The rationale behind the video is explained as follows:
Many people in the community may not know who allied health professionals are. They may know they were treated by a physio or saw the social worker. Patients may say that someone in a teal-green shirt was really kind or provided great care, and they wanted to thank them, but didn’t know who they were. One of the special aspects of allied health is that it includes disciplines that engage with a person’s life from birth right through to end of life and afterwards. Workforce Planning and Talent Development branch aimed to capture this in short film to tell this story and to help people understand more about the allied health workforce.
The short film features allied health professionals and multidisciplinary teams from NSW Health. It expresses allied health being in patients’ lives all along, at the heart of their care, every step of the way.
Advocacy takes many forms, and the simple act of sharing this video amongst your patient networks can go a long way to show how important allied health is in our communities across Australia.
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