Cardiopulmonary Physiotherapy in Trauma

Heleen van Aswegen completed her Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in Physiotherapy at the University of the Free State in 1992 and 1997 respectively. She worked as a clinical physiotherapist in South Africa and in the United Kingdom for a total of 10 years before she joined the Physiotherapy department at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg as a lecturer in 2002 where she coordinates and co-teaches the undergraduate and postgraduate cardiopulmonary physiotherapy curricula. Heleen obtained her PhD at the University of the Witwatersrand in 2008 and was promoted to the position of Associate-Professor in 2013. Through collaborative research activities of her own and those of her M Sc and PhD students she has published 27 papers in national and international peer-reviewed journals and presented her research at a number of national and international physiotherapy and critical care congresses over the years. Prof van Aswegen's research interest is in the quality of life of survivors of critical illness and the role of exercise therapy to enhance their functional recovery. She is a member of the International Confederation of Cardiorespiratory Physical Therapists, Critical Care Society of South Africa and South African Society of Physiotherapy.

Brenda Morrow is an Associate Professor in the Department of Paediatrics, University of Cape Town (UCT), South Africa. A physiotherapist by training, Brenda worked clinically from 1995 to 2006 at Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital in Cape Town. She developed a special interest in paediatric respiratory diseases, particularly in the context of critical care and the management of children with Cystic Fibrosis, and embarked on a Master's Degree in 2001, which was upgraded to PhD in 2003. In 2005 Brenda was awarded a PhD for her dissertation, “An investigation into nonbronchoscopic bronchoalveolar lavage and endotracheal suctioning in critically ill infants and children”. In 2008 she completed a two-year postdoctoral fellowship funded by the Medical Research Council of Southern Africa (MRC). In 2009 she was awarded an MRC Career Development Award to develop clinical research using electrical impedance tomography — an emerging, noninvasive imaging tool which allows real-time quantitative analysis of ventilation distribution. In 2012 she was promoted Ad Hominem to Associate Professor. Since 1998, Brenda has been engaged in teaching and supervision of undergraduate and postgraduate students. Her current job description includes expanding the African Paediatric Fellowship Program to train paediatric allied health and rehabilitation therapists throughout Africa and to facilitate the concept of a multidisciplinary, holistic approach to child health practice and research. In 2014, she completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Human Research ethics through the University of Stellenbosch. Brenda is Deputy Chair of the Departmental Research Committee; a member of the Faculty of Health Sciences Research and Human Research Ethics Committees; and a member of many special interest, editorial and advisory boards. She has published and presented her research findings widely, and won several awards. She is a regular reviewer for international journals.

Susan Hanekom completed her Bachelor of Science degree in Physiotherapy at Stellenbosch University in 1983. Following which, she worked as a lecturer at Stellenbosch University for a number of years, before working as a clinical physiotherapist in a variety of national and international private- and state-funded hospitals. She returned to Stellenbosch University as a lecturer in 2000. Here she completed a Master of Science degree and PhD in 2004 and 2010 respectively. She was promoted to the position of Associate-Professor in 2014. Currently she coordinates the post graduate courses and teaches the undergraduate course in cardiopulmonary physiotherapy. The focus she has brought to her academic career is grounded in her experiences as a clinician. This is evident by the number of multidisciplinary collaborative research projects undertaken with clinicians working in private- and public-funded hospitals. The 23 papers published in national and international peer reviewed journals, presentations at international and national scientific gatherings underscores her belief that the primary role of the university is to develop and disseminate new knowledge. Susan's research interests include critical care; cardiopulmonary rehabilitation and education. She is a member of Critical Care Society of South Africa.

Moira Wilson qualified as a physiotherapist in 1978 in Glasgow, Scotland. She immigrated to South Africa in 1980 and apart from a 2 year stint back in Scotland has worked in Johannesburg ever since. Her physiotherapy practice is based in Netcare Milpark Hospital, Johannesburg which has the largest Level 1 Private Trauma Unit in the country with 30 Trauma Beds plus 8 Burns ICU beds. Moira's practice is one of the clinical placements for the final year Physiotherapy students of Wits University for their Trauma ICU rotation. Moira's continuous professional development includes completion of the orthopaedic manipulative therapy course and various dry needling courses over the past few years. She also successfully completed a business course presented at the Wits Business School in 2013. She is the Treasurer for PhysioFocus (Private Sector Group) of the South African Society of Physiotherapy (SASP) and also sits on the Coding Management Group of Physiofocus and the Finance Committee of the SASP. Moira is involved in Medico legal assessments for various attorneys. She is married with 4 children and 2 grandchildren.

Ms Ronel Roos trained at the University of Stellenbosch as a physiotherapy student from 1993–1996. She obtained her BSc in Physiotherapy degree Cum Laude. She had the opportunity to work as a clinical physiotherapist for twelve years in South Africa, USA, UK and Saudi Arabia. During this period she was promoted to a senior physiotherapy status that involved departmental management responsibilities, in-service training of junior staff members and clinical education of physiotherapy students. She has worked in all the physiotherapy clinical disciplines but her specific field of interest is cardiopulmonary physiotherapy. She completed her MSc degree in 2003 and is currently employed as cardiopulmonary physiotherapy lecturer by the University of the Witwatersrand and registered as PhD student.

Dr Witness Mudzi has BSc Physiotherapy (Honours) degree from the University of Zimbabwe, an MSc Physiotherapy degree and a PhD from the University of the Witwatersrand. He is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Physiotherapy at the University of the Witwatersrand. He teaches adult neurology to both undergraduate and postgraduate students, the teaching of which includes spinal cord injury. He also teaches research methodology to both the undergraduate and postgraduate students. He is currently the postgraduate and research coordinator for the Department of Physiotherapy.

Elizna van Aswegen studied at the University of the Free State to become a medical doctor and successfully graduated in 1999 with the degree MBChB. She completed her internship in 2000 at Tygerberg hospital in Cape Town and proceeded to complete her community service at Standerton hospital, Mpumalanga in 2001. Thereafter Elizna worked as a general practitioner in Bloemfontein until end 2004 when she joined Mediclinic Bloemfontein as a medical officer until mid-2009. In June 2009 she was appointed as Head of the Emergency Centre at Mediclinic Bloemfontein and currently holds this position. Her continuous professional development includes successfully completing courses on Advanced Trauma Life Support, Paediatric Advanced Life Support and Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support. She became an instructor in Advanced Trauma Life Support in 2006. Elizna successfully graduated with a Diploma in Primary Emergency Care from the Colleges of Medicine South Africa in 2007 and was awarded the Campbell MacFarlane medal. In 2013 she completed the Instructor course for Advanced Cardiac Life Support and presents ACLS courses throughout the Free State.

Mrs Natascha Plani holds a B Phys T degree in physiotherapy from the University of Pretoria, South Africa and a MSc Physiotherapy degree in Traumatology from the University of the Witwatersrand. She is a senior clinician in private practice in Alberton South Africa as partner in a large physiotherapy practice. Natascha works in the Level 1 Trauma Unit at the Netcare Union Hospital and traumatology and critical care is her field of interest. Her practice provides academic placements and supervision for final year physiotherapy students on their ICU rotation. Natascha lectures to post-graduates on courses and is a speaker at international congresses. She is chairperson of the Cardiopulmonary Physiotherapy Rehabilitation Group (CPRG) of the South African Society of Physiotherapy and on the Executive Committee of the International Confederation of Cardiorespiratory Physical Therapists (ICCrPT) of the World Confederation of Physical Therapists (WCPT).

Sample Chapter(s)
Chapter 1: Physiological Response to Trauma (550 KB)