Health Promotion/Injury Prevention Assignment

1. Health Promotion/Injury Prevention Assignment PO 006

2. Outline • After the completion of PO 006, PTT students will be required to produce health promotion/injury prevention educational material • Students will have the option to complete this assignment in a variety of formats • This assignment must be completed for successful graduation of the PTT program

3. Objectives • The objectives of this assignment are: • Promotion of physical therapy services and value in health promotion and injury prevention • Encourage self learning and continuous education • Allow students to practice developing educational material for patients and the community • Promotion of educational information that will benefit the ANA population in preventative health • Aim to positively influence the PT population in health promotion and injury prevention strategies • Allow students to practice creating educational material and researching appropriate information

4. Topic Selection • Students are permitted to choose any relevant health promotion or injury prevention topic of their choice • Topics must be physical therapy related • Topics must also be relevant to the PT patient population including: • ANA • Pediatrics • Geriatrics

5. Suggested Topics • Students can choose from the following suggested topics or one of their own selections: • Smoking cessation • Importance of physical activity • Proper lifting technique • Minor injury management (i.e. PRICE principle) • Use of hot vs. cold post injury • Management of hypertension • Proper gait aid use • Importance of dynamic warm-up pre-activity • Hand hygiene • Women’s health issues • Nutrition through the ages • Physical activity in the elderly

6. Formats • Students can choose a variety of formats to present their information including but not limited to: • Pamphlet • Poster • Video • Lecture • Power point • Demonstration

7. Specifics • The following information should be included: • A description of the condition or issue presented • The targeted patient population • Why or how it is a problem? • The related health conditions or issues and their impact on the patient population • The role or impact that physical therapy can have on the related issue • Education to the patient population • Reference to where the information came from • Contact information for the patient if they have further questions or concerns

8. Additional Information • Students should ensure that the information they prepare is relevant and appropriate for the target population • Information should be simple and easy to understand • A picture can say a thousand words • Information included should be reliable and from a credible source • Information should be from the last 1o years or less • Data from professionals is more likely to be accurate as opposed to opinion based information

9. Example • The following trifold brochure was created for American and Canadian female soldiers • It focuses on female related issues during deployment • It was presented at a women’s equality event

10. Ways to Succeed & Overcome Stress Incontinence Women’s Equality Day Kabul • Bring baby wipes, hand sanitizer and portable showers if spending extending periods of time in the field. Changing under garments daily such as bras, underwear and socks will also prevent hygiene issues. • Keep a supply of OTC yeast infection remedy on hand to avoid needing to seek these from medical staff. • Drink fluids regularly to maintain urinary tract health. Use washroom facilities whenever possible. • Ensure to keep adequate supply of feminine hygiene products in the event they become unavailable. • Have regular pap testing before and after deployments if unavailable or uncomfortable with medical staff while deployed. • Seek medical attention for any gynecological issue immediately to prevent escalation of conditions. • Take birth control medications continuously to stop menstruation for up to 6 months at a time. • Ensure adequate supply of birth control medications and pregnancy prevention measures. • Develop a family care plan for your time away to set-up realistic expectations of yourself and loved ones back home. Utilize communication technology such as email, Skype, Facetime, etc, to keep in touch with family. • Avoid risky situations such as being alone at night to prevent security risks. Always have a buddy whom you trust. Always follow SHARP procedures following any sexual assault or attack. Never be ashamed of reporting. • Stress incontinence is prompted by a physical movement or physical activity such as coughing, sneezing, running or heavy lifting. • In stress incontinence the pelvic muscles which support the bladder and urethra are weakened. The sphincter is not able to prevent urine from flowing when pressure is placed on the abdomen. • Predominant in women especially in women who have had more than one pregnancy. • Treatment can include activity changes, medication, pelvic floor training or surgery. • Physical therapy has a role in pelvic floor training, which is also known as Kegel training which helps strengthen the urethral sphincter and prevent urine leakage. • Be careful not to flex the muscles in your abdomen, thighs or buttocks. • To perform Kegel exercises: -Empty your bladder and lie on your back -Tighten your pelvic floor muscles -Hold the contraction for 5 seconds -Try 4-5 times in a row -Work up to holding the contraction for 10 seconds at a time relaxing for 10 seconds between contractions -Repeat 3 sets of 10 repetitions 3 times a day 26 August 2013 Produced by Capt X, PTT AFAMS Physical Therapy Department

11. Personal Hygiene:Washroom facilities are often scarce and shared with men. Women cannot relieve themselves as the men can due to PPE and time restrictions. Therefore, women are more likely to drink fewer fluids to decrease the need to urinate. Subsequently, there are higher rates of urinary tract infections (UTIs) as well as increased risk of dehydration. Showers may also be scarce especially in the field. As a result, women may encounter many hours without proper cleaning which can further lead to UTIs and yeast infections. Pregnancy:Females who are pregnant or are found to be pregnant are not deployed and are returned home. This can cause morale issues amongst troops as some men resent women who are diagnosed as pregnant and returned home as they may believe they did it intentionally to avoid duty. The number of unintentional pregnancies during deployment is alarming as women often do no bring enough birth control supplies to last an entire tour and may not feel comfortable requesting more. Women’s Challenges While Deployed Separation from family:Deploying the primary caregiver of a child is immensely stressful on families. As mothers are often the primary caregivers, this can be exceptionally demanding as mothers are often deployed for long periods of time. In the US military, mothers are given 6 weeks maternity leave and then may potentially face leaving their little ones. Single parents are faced with an even more challenging task as they may need to find child care for an extended period of time in the event of a rapid call-up. Isolation, sexual harassment, and assaults: The lopsided ratio of men to women in many units can cause an isolation effect for women and may also lead to sexual harassment or sexual tensions which subsequently may lead to safety concerns. In foreign cultures, differences between the sexes can lead to women being heckled or other cultural restrictions such as clothing, driving restrictions or social interactions. Underreporting of sexual assaults results in under estimating the actual rates. Gynecological issues:Feminine products such as tampons and sanitary napkins are not always readily available in deployment areas. As well, the unique environments of operational theatres do not always allow access to a washroom for changing feminine products regularly. Another concern is that in most deployment settings, there is a lack of experienced gynecology doctors or nurse practitioners as enlisted medics are often primary health care providers. Females are less likely to seek medical attention for gynecological issues in this case. This leads to women not having frequent pap testing and thus proper screening for sinister conditions. • Reference: LTC Elspeth Cameron Ritchie: Issues for military women in deployment: An 0overview. Military Medicine, 166 12:1033, 201.

12. Presentation • Each PTT student will be required to present their work to their classmates and instructors upon completion • A copy of each student’s work will be provided for the instructor to assess • Students will receive a pass/fail for this assignment • Assignments that are particularly well done or relevant should be considered for use at the PT departments as patient educational material

13. Questions?