# Working Together for Better Physiotherapy Education – ENPHE Workshop 2026 - Savonia AMK

> The article outlines the research group’s activities conducted as part of ENPHE collaboration.

## Overview of ENPHE Workshop 2026
The European Network of Physiotherapy in Higher Education (ENPHE) Workshop 2026 took place from 16–18 April 2026 in Aalborg, Denmark, hosted by the University College of Northern Denmark (UCN). The event gathered physiotherapy educators, students, researchers, and professionals to advance physiotherapy education in Europe.

The theme, “Community-Centered Physiotherapy: Bridging Research, Practice, Policy, and Health Technologies in Europe,” emphasized the integration of education, research, clinical practice, policy-making, and health technologies.

## Programme Structure
*   **Thursday, 16 April 2026:** Focused on the ENPHE Student Programme and ENPHE Board meetings.
*   **Friday and Saturday, 17–18 April 2026:** Dedicated to main workshop activities, including working group sessions, collaborative discussions, and shared reflections.

## Research Working Group Activities
The Research Working Group reviewed the status of its sub-groups and ongoing projects:
*   **Systematic Literature Review:** Successfully registered in the PROSPERO registry; currently moving into the writing phase. This builds upon a previous scoping review (Boshnjaku et al. 2023).
*   **More Life to Your Years Project:** Progressing steadily.
*   **Blended Intensive Programme (BIP):** Planning is underway for a course in Paris, France. Previous implementation at the University of La Coruña saw high student participation.
*   **Student Blog Articles:** A total of 24 blog articles were published between 2023–2025, aimed at helping students practice the PEDro assessment tool and develop academic writing skills.
*   **Educator Survey:** A survey regarding the teaching of evidence-based physiotherapy is currently in the data collection phase.

## Participant Reflections
New members of the Research Working Group highlighted the value of the collaborative environment:
*   **Perspective 1:** Noted the stimulation of working with international colleagues and the effectiveness of combining senior experience with the energy of younger members. The group made concrete progress on a new student survey and statistical analysis for the teacher survey.
*   **Perspective 2:** Emphasized the personal and professional rewards of networking, sharing ideas across diverse backgrounds, and the motivation gained for future international educational research.

## Authors
*   **Marja Äijö:** PhD, principal lecturer of rehabilitation and physiotherapy, Savonia University of Applied Sciences
*   **Christophe Romanet:** PT, MSc, PhD, Physician Scientist, Critical Care Unit, GHPSJ, Paris, France, Head of Research, CEERRF, France
*   **Mário Lopes:** PhD, Adjunct Professor, School of Health Sciences of the University of Aveiro, Portugal
*   **Lorena Canosa Carro:** PT, MSc, PhD, Lecturer at Universidad Europea de Madrid, Spain
*   **Zeltia Naia:** Prof, PhD, MSc, PT, Faculty of Physiotherapy, University of A Coruña, Spain

## References
*   Boshnjaku A, Arnadottir AS, Pallot A, Wagener M, Äijö M. 2023. Improving the Evidence-Based Practice Skills of Entry-Level Physiotherapy Students through Educational Interventions: A Scoping Review of Literature. *Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health* 2023, 20(16), 6605; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20166605
*   European Network of Physiotherapy in Higher Education (ENPHE) (n.d.). ENPHE official website. Retrieved April 27, 2026, from https://www.enphe.org/en
*   Äijö M, Wagener MN, Pavlů D, Pallot A, Qorolli M, Multanen J, Zeltia N. 2025. ENPHE – Eurooppalainen yhteistyö näyttöön perustuvan fysioterapiakoulutuksen kehittämiseksi. *Fysioterapia* 5, 52–53