The 25th annual Maley Lecture from Virtual NEXT makes the case for PTs not to just wait for referrals.
After taking viewers through her participation in the development of a care strategy that has the potential to become a game-changer in cancer survivor treatment, Nicole Stout, PT, DPT, FAPTA, and a certified lymphedema therapist, winds up her Maley lecture by setting the bar even higher for herself.
"It's not good enough for me if you leave here today thinking that this was just a lecture about a model of care for individuals with cancer," Stout says. What she's aiming for, she explains, is nothing less than a re-visioning of what physical therapy can do as an agent for societal transformation.
That potential is laid out in Stout's presentation of the 25th annual H.P. Maley Lecture, normally a highlight of APTA's NEXT Conference and Exposition, and now a marquee event available via the association's Virtual NEXT Conference, which is making more than 20 virtual sessions and special presentations available to members for purchase through July 31.
Titled "Cancer Rehabilitation: Insights on the Future of our Practice," Stout's address dives into the development of a prospective surveillance model for cancer survivors that integrates rehabilitation from almost the moment of diagnosis. She explains how the model was developed, and its impact on lymphedema, upper quadrant impairment, fatigue, cost, and health care disparities, and she relates the model's journey toward prominence in the cancer rehab community.
But the lecture isn't just a recounting of the development of a model. Stout says she believes that prospective surveillance is a concept that should be applied much more widely, connecting individuals with therapists acting proactively at the first signs of health conditions and lifestyles that could lead to serious problems in the future. After all, she says, "Nobody wakes up one day as an uncontrolled type 2 diabetic."
In many ways, the lecture is a call to action — but one built on an extensive evidence base.
"Why are we waiting for the referrals to come our way?" Stout asks. "'Refer to PT' is not going to transform society."
Don't miss the Maley Lecture and an extensive range of educational sessions and other events that will inform and inspire: Register for Virtual NEXT before July 31.