Community Physiotherapy in Different Regions

Research centers at universities, such as the O'Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University (the O'Neill Institute), are uniquely positioned to facilitate interprofessional collaboration, and to educate current and future global health practitioners. This paper will discuss the O'Neill Institute's experience in developing interprofessional global health skills through its practicum courses. The O'Neill Institute has found that practicum style courses help foster three fundamental elements of interprofessional collaboration in global health: (1) the ability to define professional roles and responsibilities in a project; (2) interprofessional communication skills; and (3) the ability to work in an interprofessional team.

Blended learning networks (BLNs) based on the integration of online learning networks and offline learning environments provide new opportunities and platforms for people to acquire and update useful knowledge and carry out all kinds of learning activities anytime and anywhere. Effective modeling and regulation of the knowledge dissemination process can accurately grasp its dissemination process, promote knowledge innovation and collaborative sharing among learners, and accelerate the maximization of knowledge dissemination. However, it is a challenge to establish a comprehensive dynamics model and adopt the optimal regulation for the knowledge dissemination process under the constraints of a limited budget in large-scale BLNs with diverse learners. To this end, we first explore the evolution process of knowledge dissemination in BLNs and the blended learning interaction process of learners. Based on the system dynamics modeling theory, a dynamics model of knowledge dissemination is established. Second, two kinds of effective regulation strategies are proposed. We establish an optimal regulation system intending to maximize the dissemination of knowledge and use the optimal control theory to tackle the optimal solution distribution of regulation strategies. Then, we propose a knowledge dissemination regulation task allocation method based on the collaborative participation of users, and the reverse auction theory is used to quickly solve the task allocation scheme while ensuring performance. Finally, we demonstrate the effectiveness of proposed models and methods through extensive simulation experiments based on real datasets.

Conventional neurorehabilitation appears to have little impact on impairment over and above that of spontaneous biological recovery. Robotic neurorehabilitation has the potential for a greater impact on impairment due to easy deployment, its applicability across of a wide range of motor impairment, its high measurement reliability, and the capacity to deliver high dosage and high intensity training protocols.We first describe current knowledge of the natural history of arm recovery after stroke and of outcome prediction in individual patients. Rehabilitation strategies and outcome measures for impairment versus function are compared. The topics of dosage, intensity, and time of rehabilitation are then discussed.Robots are particularly suitable for both rigorous testing and application of motor learning principles to neurorehabilitation. Computational motor control and learning principles derived from studies in healthy subjects are introduced in the context of robotic neurorehabilitation. Particular attention is paid to the idea of context, task generalization and training schedule. The assumptions that underlie the choice of both movement trajectory programmed into the robot and the degree of active participation required by subjects are examined. We consider rehabilitation as a general learning problem, and examine it from the perspective of theoretical learning frameworks such as supervised and unsupervised learning. We discuss the limitations of current robotic neurorehabilitation paradigms and suggest new research directions from the perspective of computational motor learning.

This review aimed to systematically synthesize qualitative evidence on the perceptions, experiences, and practices of athletes and stakeholders regarding sports injuries, with a primary focus on risk factors, consequences, injury reporting, rehabilitation, and prevention strategies. A systematic review of qualitative studies was conducted in accordance with PRISMA guidelines and prospectively registered in PROSPERO. Six databases were searched from 2000 to July 2025. Eligible studies explored the lived experiences of sports injuries in athletes and stakeholders. Data were extracted, appraised using the CASP checklist, and synthesized thematically. Thirty-five studies were included, spanning a range of sports and competitive levels. Five overarching themes were identified: (i) risk factors including excessive training loads, poor recovery, early specialization, and psychosocial stressors; (ii) consequences of injury such as disrupted performance, long-term disability, financial costs, and significant psychological distress; (iii) rehabilitation highlighting both the challenges of self-management and the importance of interdisciplinary support; (iv) injury reporting and monitoring where normalization of pain, fear of deselection, and cultural pressures inhibited disclosure; and (v) injury prevention and performance sustainability emphasizing load management, evidence-based practices, collaborative monitoring, and contextual barriers such as limited resources and fixture congestion. Athletes and stakeholders perceive sports injuries as complex biopsychosocial phenomena shaped by cultural norms, resource availability, and interpersonal dynamics. Sustainable prevention requires both individualized and systemic approaches, combining tailored training plans, athlete-centered care, and structured surveillance systems. Qualitative insights highlight the necessity of embedding prevention and rehabilitation strategies within the lived realities of athletes, thereby enhancing health protection and long-term performance sustainability. REVIEW REGISTRATION: This review was prospectively registered on the Open Science Framework in March 2025 (registration DOI: https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/V79D2).

As Drumond Rennie put it, ‘Science does not come alive until it is shared publicly’ (1998), emphasising that the rapid advancement of scientific research requires its efficient and rigorous dissemination both to encourage the development of new strategies and to avoid duplication of effort and resources. The current model of scientific and technological research is facing a significant challenge: the cost associated with publishing its results. It is now increasingly common for publishers to impose fees on the scientific community to publish their results, generating debate about the impact of this practice on the fairness of scientific dissemination. Requiring researchers to pay publication costs would limit or exclude research from countries with limited resources, creating significant barriers to the dissemination of knowledge. It has been estimated that costs in some cases are up to ten times higher than what is considered adequate to cover the actual costs of publication (Grossmann & Brembs, 2021). This mismatch raises questions about the justification for such fees and the benefits to funders, given that the funds are often public, or even come from researchers' own pockets. Moreover, this current model supports a highly lucrative publishing industry, valued at approximately $10 billion (Global $10B Scientific & Technical Publishing Industry Report, 2019-2023), and is possibly one of the main causes of the emergence of so-called Predatory Journals. These journals, sometimes described as fraudulent, appear to be legitimate journals, but in reality distort certain publication practices, with a purely profit-driven ultimate purpose (Elmore & Weston, 2020), representing an ethical violation by exploiting the need of researchers for financial gain without providing true scientific value. Given the current landscape, it is crucial to reflect on how these practices affect equity in the dissemination of scientific knowledge?, and how publishing power can limit the dissemination of research on specific pathologies in emerging countries, restricting the right of communities to access crucial information and develop effective public health policies?. Undoubtedly, equity of access to and distribution of scientific knowledge is a fundamental principle that must be strongly defended. Paying high costs for scientific and technological publication not only jeopardises equal opportunities for researchers from regions with fewer resources, but also affects fairness in the distribution of knowledge. This economic barrier can result in a systematic exclusion of relevant perspectives and data from emerging countries, deepening inequalities and limiting global progress in critical areas such as public health. Consequently, there is a need to re-examine the current publication model to ensure that science continues to advance in a way that is fair and accessible to all, and to ensure that information vital to public health and scientific progress is not restricted by economic barriers, but is based on principles of fairness and transparency. Indeed, the scientific community must work together to promote the dissemination of knowledge in a manner that is accessible, equitable and free from harmful practices.

Justification of a voluntary vaccination policy in England and Wales rests on tenuous foundations. Two arguments against voluntary vaccination are gaining ground. The first is that globalisation necessitates preparedness strategies for pandemics. Assuming sufficient supply, compulsory vaccination of adults and children constitutes a potential policy option in the context of a severe, vaccine‐preventable pandemic outbreak. The second argument is that children have a right to preventive medicine and thus to vaccination. The influence of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and its emphasis on parents as the trustees of their children's best interests, and the increasingly global nature of our collective and individual responsibilities with respect to the transmission of vaccine‐preventable disease present challenges to the right to refuse vaccination on our own behalf and on behalf of our children. Exploring methods of compulsion and persuasion utilised across Europe, the USA and Australia, this paper argues that necessity and proportionality must be reassessed, and national public health law and policy setting out a graduated and proportionate approach to compulsory vaccination developed as a matter of priority.

A new national mental health law for China came into force in 2013, extending the cover of mental health legislation to a further 20% of the world's people. This article focuses on the new law's civil commitment regime. It analyses the provisions governing compulsory hospitalisation, review of compulsory status, and the powers of patients' guardians. We ask whether the rights-oriented form of the new law is likely to be reflected fully in practice, in light of the dominant role accorded family members in decision-making about compulsory hospitalisation, and in light of the limits imposed on the protection of individual rights by the prevailing judicial and medical cultures in China.

No one who attended the 2010 national public health law conference hosted by the Public Health Law Association (PHLA) and the American Society of Law, Medicine & Ethics (ASLME) could miss the sense of excitement and momentum. The revival of this annual public health law meeting, with the support of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), the energetic leadership of the PHLA president and board, ASLME’s expert guidance, and a rousing address by Dr. Tom Frieden, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), symbolize the continued commitment of a wide range of important individuals and institutions to the proposition that law is of substantial importance to public health. But there is more than just symbolism to be excited about. CDC’s public health law program continues to champion efforts to promote the use and understanding of law as a public health tool.

The treatment panel at last week's two‐day meeting, The Winter Institute on Addiction Policy and the Law, focused on the legal profession and substance use disorders (SUDs). The aim of the meeting, hosted by the O'Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University Law Center, was to provide continuing legal education for lawyers interested in working in the field.

Post-COVID U.S. Legal Reforms Promoting Public Health and Equity

Legal priorities for prevention of non-communicable diseases: innovations from WHO's Eastern Mediterranean region

The American public has increasingly identified health care as a key issue of concern. In order to address the multiple problems relating to the access and affordability of health care, President Obama and federal lawmakers across the political spectrum continue to call for major health reform. In any debate on health reform, a predictable set of complex policy, management, economic, and legal issues is likely to be raised. Due to the diverse interests involved, these issues could lead to a series of high-stakes policy debates. Therefore, it is critical that advocates of reform strategies anticipate such issues in order to decrease the likelihood that legally resolvable questions become barriers to substantive health reform. In an effort to frame and study legal challenges and solutions in advance of the heat of political debate, the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation have crafted the “Legal Solutions in Health Reform” project.

Review of Alaska Mental Health Statutes

Internationalization of R&D and innovation by multinational enterprises (MNEs) has undergone a gradual and comprehensive change in perspective over the past 50 years. From sporadic works in the late 1950s and in the 1960s, it became a systematically analyzed topic in the 1970s, starting with pioneering reports and “foundation texts”. Our review unfolds the theoretical and empirical evolution of the literature from dyadic interpretations of centralization versus decentralization of R&D by MNEs to more comprehensive frameworks, wherein established MNEs from advanced economies still play a pivotal role, but new players and places also emerge in the global generation and diffusion of knowledge. Hence, views of R&D internationalization increasingly rely on concepts, ideas, and methods from IB and other related disciplines such as industrial organization, international economics, and economic geography. Two main findings are highlighted. First, scholarly research pays increasing attention to the network-like characteristics of international R&D activities. Second, different streams of literature have emphasized the role of location-specific factors in R&D internationalization. The increasing emphasis on these aspects has created new research opportunities in some key areas, including inter alia: cross-border knowledge-sourcing strategies, changes in the geography of R&D and innovation, and the international fragmentation of production and R&D activities.

Background: National health laws and best practices from other countries have helped Indonesia set standards for pharmaceutical services. However, there is still limited research on the application of Sharia principles in pharmacy services, particularly within community pharmacies. These standards are based on ideas from the Quran, Hadith, and fatwas from well-known Islamic scholars. They put these ideas into action by making sure that medicines don't contain any illegal substances, being sensitive to gender issues, and providing services that respect patients' dignity, as Islamic teachings say they should. Aims: This study aims to evaluate the implementation of Sharia-based pharmaceutical service standards through a qualitative case study at the Muhammadiyah Charity Education Pharmacy. This pharmacy's unique role as an integrated platform for pharmacy education, community service, and the application of Islamic values makes it an appropriate context for examining the implementation of Sharia-compliant pharmaceutical services. Methods: A qualitative case study design was used, involving observations and semi-structured interviews. NVivo 12 software was employed for thematic and cluster analysis. Data were coded inductively by independent researchers and validated through consensus. Pearson correlation coefficients were used to identify the strongest relationships between service quality items. The informants involved were 1 pharmacist and 3 pharmaceuticals technical staff. Results: Reliability, responsiveness, empathy, tangibles, and assurance are the themes that emerged from this study. The studies found that in the reliability dimension, fulfilling order service and distributor reliability showed the highest correlation (r=0.98), emphasizing the importance of commitment and trust in sharia-based service. In the responsiveness dimension, the most significant relationship (r=1.00) emerged between complaint resolution and clear division of duties, reflecting the role of communication and accountability. For assurance, the highest correlation (r=0.96) indicated the critical role of clear, understandable information in building trust. The empathy dimension revealed that prioritizing humanity and non-discriminatory service (r=0.52) aligned closely with the values of justice and compassion. Lastly, in the tangibles (physical) dimension, the presence of a patient prayer space showed a strong link to perceptions of cleanliness and professionalism (r=0.67), although implementation was still limited. Conclusion: By combining Islamic ethical principles with service quality metrics, the application of sharia-based service standards in pharmaceutical care improves patient satisfaction. However, some aspects still need improvement, especially the physical facilities and assurance under heavy workload. These findings provide insightful guidance on how to develop appropriate interventions, such as training programs, SOPs, and infrastructure modifications, to ensure pharmaceutical services comply with Sharia law while improving overall service quality for lawmakers, educational institutions, and businesses providing Islamic-based pharmaceutical services.