Seminar provides insights into Paediatric Orthopaedic

FMHS staff and students with the guest speakers

The Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS) of UTAR Sungai Long Campus organised a Paediatric Orthopaedic Seminar on 7 July 2019. The objective of the seminar is to provide knowledge, skill and clinical experience necessary to recognize and manage paediatric orthopaedic conditions.

The seminar began with a welcome speech by Emeritus Prof Dr Boo Nem Yun followed by the introduction of guest speakers by Chairperson of Centre for Research on Non-Communicable Diseases Prof Dr John Paul Evangel Judson.

From left: Prof Boo and Prof John delivering their speech

The first speaker was Dr Douglas Pearman. During the talk, he shared the six trauma and orthopaedic cases he encountered in Malawi in the year 2018. According to him, the main cause of burns in Malawi was due to scalds. He explained the risk factors for burn contracture and burn management which includes initial management, care to avoid contractures and definitive surgical care. Before ending the talk, he advised the students and also shared the plans for his career in the future.

Dr Douglas sharing his experience

The next speaker was FMHS Clinical Assoc Prof Dr Simerjit Singh. Delivering a talk on the topic“Nonaccidental Injuries in Children in Orthopaedic Aspects”, he said, “As I was preparing for this topic, I had the reminiscent of my childhood and felt so lucky that I and my brother didn’t have to go through this.” He began his talk by first sharing the history of child abuse. His talk focused on physical abuse which included Shaken Baby Syndrome and Munchausen Syndrome of Proxy. Some photos of Coining, Spooning and Cupping cultures among children in countries like Vietnam, Cambodia and Laotian were also shown. He then explained the measures need to be taken when one encounters physical abuse. He ended the talk by providing information on One-Stop Crisis Centre (OSCC).

Dr Simerjit delivering his talk

The seminar then resumed with another speaker, FMHS Clinical Professor Dr Swaminathan Manickam.  He presented the topic “Pathological basis of some common paediatric orthopaedic conditions”. He explained the variations of musculoskeletal normality and the differential diagnosis. His talk also included information on Scoliosis. According to him, there are three types of Scoliosis, namely Idiopathic, Congenital and Secondary. He also provided more information on hypermobility, back pain due to mechanical causes, tumours that are either benign or malignant, slipped capital femoral epiphysis, and congenital disorders of bone and cartilage.

Prof Swaminathan giving his talk

Next, Saraswathy Thangarajoo was invited to give a talk on “Nursing Care in Paediatrics Orthopaedics”. She said, “I have always loved kids ever since I was young. Being in this field of work, one thing that matters at the end of the day is watching the kids go back home with better health. It’s not at all about the salary but the happiness and satisfaction that comes from the work.” She discussed the nursing care for paediatric orthopaedic patients based on her own experiences. Following that, she showed a short video of a kid driving a manual toy car to the operation theatre which was intentionally done to divert the kid’s mind and help him deal with the anxiety of separating from his parents. She ended the talk by expressing her hope to see a similar implementation done in Malaysia.

Sarawasthy discussing the nursing care for paediatric orthopaedic patients

The last speaker for the day was FMHS lecturer Gan Quan Fu. He delivered a talk titled, “Paediatrics Orthopaedics Rehabilitation”. During the talk, he explained the different types of paediatrics orthopaedic cases, the importance of addressing paediatrics orthopaedic cases and the role of the physiotherapist in handling paediatrics orthopaedic cases. He also elucidated on the treatment environment, clinical examination and the concepts to consider when selecting the choice of intervention.

Gan explaining the role of the physiotherapist

The speakers with FMHS staff

The audience paying attention to the speaker


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