Physiotherapy and Refugees Education Project

Every year, millions of people are forced to flee their homes due to violence, persecution or poverty. Many countries in Europe have the capability to provide a new home and a safe life for these groups. 

In this project we are focusing on the knowledge need for physiotherapists working with refugees. There is a clear lack of competency in this field today and we will fill parts of this knowledge gap by making an e-learing course on physiotherapy and rehabilitation of refugees. 

The Physiotherapy and Refugees Education Project (PREP) addresses the mismatch between the competence of physiotherapists and the complex rehabilitation needs of a growing population of refugees and migrants in Europe. Over 1 million refugees and migrants have crossed the borders to Europe in recent years. This migration represents a major challenge for health care systems that struggle to provide healthcare services, particularly for non-communicable diseases and disability. Refugees and migrants have complex health needs that are a result of a cumulative trauma experienced in their home countries, during their dangerous journey, or in the period of adjustment in their new country. This diverse and non-homogenous group also comes with resources in terms of resilience that we need to learn from and use in the healing process. However, they also face barriers accessing healthcare services because of language and cultural differences, differences in socio-economic status, and a lack of familiarity with local environment and healthcare system. There is a gap in competence of health care professionals, including physiotherapists to meet their complex needs, many of which can be addressed by physiotherapy. There is a clear lack of definition regarding physiotherapists competencies needed to serve refugees and migrants, and a lack of common strategies to address challenges of migration which has negative implications for health.

The project is divided into four parts

1) European consensus
The aim of the first part of the project is to come to consensus on the knowledge need for phsyiotherapists working with refugees in Europe. A consens process will be performed based on knowledge we get from a scoping review and interviews with refugees, physiotherapists and decission makers in Norway, Sweden and the Netherlands. 

2) Curriculum
From the consesus, a curriculum will be made. The curriculum will be open available. 

3) Production of e-course
based on the curriculum, an e-course will be made (5 ECTS). Target groups for the course are physiotherapists working in clinical practise and physitherapists taking a masters degree. The course will be made open available. 

4) Pilot and revision of the course
During spring 2021 a pilot of the course will be held. Evaluations of the course will be used to revise the course.