An eight-member interdisciplinary team devoted one week last summer to teaching healthcare providers at a Chinese hospital strategies and techniques to upgrade physical therapy, according to a published report.
Six of the eight individuals are linked with the University of Alabama at Birmingham, including Tom and Janet Hicks, who have been working in the Asian nation as physicians since 1996, states the UAB Reporter. The objective of the physicians, nurses and additional healthcare providers' work in Lanzhou included imparting physical therapy instruction at hospitals and nursing homes to those who hold physical therapy jobs.
"The Chinese government realizes its rehab programs are not doing as well as they could," said assistant professor Scott Bickel, Ph.D. with the Department of Physical Therapy who traveled to the Asian nation. "In some aspects, it's like going back in time 40 years. People stay in the hospital longer than they do here. Their rehab options are very limited. They see they can be doing better in that area, and they want to improve."
The travelers conducted training sessions and delivered lectures at a hospital and a nursing home in Lanzhou.
Lanzhou is the capital of Gansu Province, which is located in the Northwest Region of the country, according to the Travel China Guide.