Gill Brook on behalf of the ICS Fistula Committee produced a document on the role of physiotherapy and rehabilitation in obstetric fistula management. When the committee was disestablished the Physiotherapy Committee took over the production of this document, with Gill as a co-opted member. The resultant report from the ICS Physiotherapy Committee refers to the limited research available on the subject, plus the experiences of numerous physiotherapists who have worked in countries where obstetric fistula is still not rare. It recognises that physiotherapists play an important role in the management of these women and should not be forgotten when services are being planned. It also stresses the need for high quality research to confirm the effectiveness of our interventions.
Gill Brook is a women’s health physiotherapist and ICS member, she has visited the Hamlin Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital annually since 2010 to support the Ethiopian physiotherapy team and contribute to the urogynaecology Fellowship programme. In addition, she networks with other physiotherapists working within, or visiting, fistula centres worldwide as an individual and as a member of the rehab advisory council of the Worldwide Fistula Fund.
Additional Information
Obstetric fistula: The role of physiotherapy: A report from the Physiotherapy Committee of the International Continence Society, DOI: 10.1002/nau.23851
Obstetric fistula: The role of physiotherapy: A report from the Physiotherapy Committee of the International Continence Society, PDF
Article by Gill Brook, on behalf of the ICS Physiotherapy Committee