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Bringing Groundbreaking Research in ICU Physiotherapy to the Rest of the World

Bringing Groundbreaking Research in ICU Physiotherapy to the Rest of the World

Published By Anjana , 2 years ago

Professor Carol Hodgson fell in love with critical care early in her work as a graduate physiotherapist. Her first position at a public hospital, where she worked in an extensive multidisciplinary team, taught her to value the coordination of care, the quick pace, and the complex decision-making that this work demanded. Professor Hodgson said that she knew it was a field she wanted to work in, and as soon as her junior rotations were through, she was hired as a senior physiotherapist in ICU. 

Professor Hodgson went on to specialise in intensive care unit (ICU) physiotherapy, becoming one of just a few cardiorespiratory physiotherapists in Australia. She is also one of only a few physiotherapists worldwide who has served on international committees to produce recommendations for mechanical ventilation for acute respiratory failure. This subject has become especially important during the COVID-19 epidemic. She said that it's an honour to contribute in that manner and serve as an ambassador for our profession. 

Professor Hodgson enjoys the challenge of intensive care, which often entails dealing with many bodily systems and complex diagnoses and medical administration. The profession also requires a high level of mutual respect among physicians. She explained that the patient's physiology and stability are crucial, so the evaluation is coordinated with the medical and nursing teams, and you work closely with them. The treatment objectives are multidisciplinary, and the medical and nursing staff respect our input not just on mobility and exercise but also on weaning from mechanical ventilation and the function of noninvasive ventilation.

Professor Hodgson adds that she met some fantastic mentors along the road who were conducting their study in the subject and encouraged her to ask questions. She began to question whether there were better methods to treat patients and if our initiatives were beneficial - and how could we know if we weren't tracking outcomes? A stay in the United Kingdom aroused her interest in the worldwide work in physiotherapy and prompted her to pursue a research route at Monash University, exploring early mobilisation to reduce weakness in critical care.

Professor Hodgson's doctoral studies coincided with the beginning of her family life — she had four children in four years and worked on her research whenever she could. She liked it — it was the one thing she did in her life that was entirely for herself. It meant many years of squeezing in a few hours of work whilst toddlers slept, or coming into the hospital when the kids were sleeping to pull an all-nighter, and graduating with minor children under each arm.

The Peninsula campus was brand new, the grounds were beautiful, and it allowed her to concentrate on her work without interruption. In addition, she had fantastic amenities and daycare, and she needed them. Her supervisor, Jenny Keating, was outstanding and significantly influenced her career; she will be eternally thankful for her confidence in me.

Professor Hodgson has spent the past decade at the Australia and New Zealand Intensive Care Research Centre at the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, where she is now running a national experiment on early mobilisation to reduce muscular weakness in intensive care patients.

The experiment, which is set to conclude in the next few months, includes transporting critically ill patients within 72 hours of artificial ventilation to monitor early activity and mobilisation outcomes. Sedation should be reduced or terminated to enable the patient to interact and move as needed and have these mechanically ventilated patients sitting, walking, and moving.

Professor Hodgson adds that this is a study where we might truly make a difference inpatient care. If patients are left lying in bed, their muscles degrade quickly - the composition of the muscles changes, which might impact the patient's strength in the future. Professor Hodgson thinks that this study will be an extensive publication in the area throughout the globe.

Professor Hodgson's workload has expanded due to the epidemic, both clinically and in his research capacity. She and her colleagues have been at the forefront of COVID-19 research in Australia and throughout the globe, with studies examining the long-term impact of severely sick COVID-19 patients and the role that physiotherapy therapies may play.

Another notable accomplishment is Professor Hodgson's receipt of funding from the NHMRC for a new Centre of Research Excellence to Transform Outcomes of Critically Ill Patients in ICU. She views this as a fantastic chance to expand researcher capacity at a time when ICU is in focus globally.

Professor Hodgson is astounded at the expansion of Monash's Department of Physiotherapy whilst she was a PhD candidate. In her perspective, the Monash graduates that come to work with us at the Alfred are the cream of the crop. They have excellent clinical decision-making, prioritisation, and organisational abilities, as well as excellent communication skills. The Monash Department of Physiotherapy is outstanding in her opinion.

Her advice to potential students in the sector is to work in an area they like and to choose their mentors carefully. Throughout her career, she had several mentors, both within and outside of the field. Those in the physiotherapy profession have assisted her in stepping outside of her comfort zone, being courageous in her professional choices, and embracing change. They are highly recognised in the medical community. They have the capacity to cooperate not just locally. Still, she thinks that's probably been the highlight of her career on huge national and worldwide initiatives - to have these beautiful international collaborations and relationships.


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