Tony,

>>>I need to nominate a single reference for an upcoming musculoskeletal
policy document.
Which single reference do the mailbasers think would best represent the
role of podiatry in musculoskeletal care (thought should be given to
place/weight of publication as well as breadth of coverage of the work.)<<<

I consider myself to specialise in musculoskeletal podiatry, the majority of
my practice is built around sport's injuries. But this said, I see very few
patients with rheumatoid arthritis or post surgical. Other people I know
consider themselves to be musculoskeletal specialists, but see very few
sportsmen; some of these specialists see few children; some few neuro, etc
etc. The point I'm trying to make here is that even within the
musculoskeletal umbrella, there are many sub-divisions.

You are being asked to sum up an entire branch of the profession in just one
ref! I think this is virtually impossible. The very nature of publications
in high quality research journals means that they are usually highly
specialised and highly focused upon single aspects of practice. Just check
the names of the journals! Toss this in with the existence of the
subdivisions outlined above and I don't think you are ever going to find a
single reference from a high quality journal to sum all this up.

We also have the problem of international refs/ publications- is a
musculoskeltal podiatrist in the UK, the same as one in the USA or
Australasian? Probably not, so if the policy document is for the UK it may
be best to look to UK publications, or papers written by UK podiatrists in
international journals? The problem with the main UK podiatry journal is its
quality rating.

So perhaps we should look at textbooks (UK published?)? Broad reaching, but
not peer reviewed and only secondary sources of information; perhaps not
then. Even if you went down this line which one to pick- Neales?-
hmmmmmmm!!!

Perhaps, there are existing policy documents published by the Professional
Body? Ok I'll get me coat ;-) But what about their Standards Document? QAA
benchmarks? Not really.

If the question "what is the role of podiatry in musculoskeletal care?" were
asked of an undergrad student and they came back with an essay with only one
reference they would, in all likelihood, fail the assignment.

I shall be amazed if you can find a single reference which hits all the
buttons Tony, so I'd pick whichever meets your needs, but please let me know
which one you choose.

Best wishes,
Simon

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