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News from Germany, September 2011
 
In May 2011 this year´s annual OT congress took place in Erfurt welcoming 1200 visitors. The event was accompanied by a variety of speeches and workshops as well as a poster competition. An exhibition presenting old and new therapeutic concepts and material provided an ideal platform to refresh personal and professional relationships.
 
On July 1st COTEC´s executive board visited the head office of Germany’s National Occupational Therapy Association (DVE) in Karlsbad. The meeting was held as COTEC is now a legal entity registered in Germany. Germany’s Association is providing the official address for COTEC while its office still remains in London. During this meeting topics in relation to organizational matters were discussed next to political matters including strategies to enforce political activities in the EU. In regard to the upcoming COTEC Picture Poster Competition ideas concerning public relations were shared, as well.
 
The German Association is supporting the WFOT Occupational Therapy International Day and launched a website with information and promotional material. If you are interested please follow this links: http://www.welt-ergo-tag.de/
 
At present our association is developing an action plan concerning the “UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities”. In order to promote the special potentials of Occupational Therapy regarding inclusion in Germany, the need for action, problems as well as resources and measures will be identified. More detailed information about this project can be presented next year.
 
Gela Maurer, Renée Oltman

 

News from Germany 2011

A major achievement in 2010 was the completion of an evidence based  practice data base which can be accessed through the association’s website and is available to members of the German National Association (DVE) only. It contains 1400 critically appraised studies on the effectiveness of occupational therapy Interventions. The data base is being updated on a regular basis and studies are translated successively in German language with regard to contents. The goal of the DVE is to facilitate access to evidence based studies and its implementation in daily practice.
Traditionally, occupational therapy has been a three year school based education. In 2009 a new law was passed regarding the academic education of occupational therapists allowing universities to offer a bachelor degree in combination with state recognition which e.g. is necessary in order to work as an occupational therapist in Germany. The law is temporarily effective until 2017 and the outcome will be evaluated 2015. In2010 the newly founded State University of Applied Sciences for Health was opened in Bochum. This is a keystone in the German educational system. Next to other private universities who offer academic degrees in
the health professions since 1999, Bochum is the first state university which offers an academic degree in addition with state recognition for occupational therapist, physiotherapists, speech therapist, midwives and nurses.
For the first time a symposium for health promotion and prevention in occupational therapy took place for the German speaking countries and was held in Innsbruck (Austria). The cooperating countries included the Austrian, Swiss and German Association and the regional group from South Tyrol. Occupational Therapists and other health professionals presented topics concerning health promotion and prevention in practice and research.
Up to date ErgoScience has been the only German journal for scientific publications on topics regarding occupational therapy. At the end of 2010 this journal was discontinued. The Swiss and German National Associations decided to support this journal in cooperation with the Schulz Kirchner Verlag (German Publisher) in order to continue this important work and provide access to scientific studies for the German speaking countries.

 

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