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First symposium and ideas contest of the “Prevent4Work” project

In Milan, health institutions, technology enterprises and the academic world, met to discuss the prevention of work-related musculoskeletal problems Milan – November 15th, 2019 The first symposium and the ideas contest of the European project Prevent4Work took place successfully on November 15th at the Grand Hotel Villa Torretta in Milan.

Prevent4Work (P4W) is a project developed within the Erasmus + program, which aims to offer innovative e-learning courses focused on the prevention of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSD), taking into account different European laws and conditions. This initiative promotes cooperation between the academic world, work health-related institutions, technological SMEs and healthcare companies throughout Europe, creating a network (the Prevent4Work Observatory) designed to develop educational programs adapted to different types of users (workers, students, researchers, etc.), and preventive actions to manage musculoskeletal disorders.

In fact, the first Milan symposium was conceived exactly with the aim of raising awareness of work-related musculoskeletal disorders and presenting new ideas on how to tackle these pathologies. In addition to the P4W consortium partners, composed by representatives of the academic, technological and health world from Italy (Galeazzi Orthopedic Institute and VITECO Srl), Denmark (University College of Northern Denmark and the University of Aalborg) and Spain (San Jorge University, INP Formación and Geoslab), external specialists in the field of physiotherapy and clinical psychology took part in the symposium.

More than 70 medical professionals were welcomed by Dr. Pedro Berjano, project partner and director of the spinal surgery division at the Galeazzi Orthopedic Institute, followed by other partners of the consortium such as Dr. Pablo Herrero, head of iPhysio Research Group at San Jorge University, Dr. Thorvaldur Palsson, associate professor at the University of Aalborg, Dr. Morten Hoegh, clinical physiotherapist and two external experts, Dr. Steven Linton, professor of clinical psychology, and Dr. Morten Villumsen, consultant at the municipality of Aalborg,

Dr. Pablo Herrero explained to the participants the objectives to be achieved and the challenges to be tackled throughout of the project: establishing a network between the academic world, health-related institutions, health technology enterprises and companies from different sectors to develop innovative educational programmes, high quality evidence-based material and actions to prevent and manage Work-related Musculoskeletal Disorders (WMSDs).

After his speech, other speakers shared their experiences regarding prevention of musculoskeletal disorders, showing the progress made during the last few years in both the scientific and working fields. Dr. Thorvaldur Palsson presented the first results obtained within the project and talked about education in the management of work-related musculoskeletal pain. To follow, Dr. Steven Linton explained the relationship between psychological factors and musculoskeletal disorders, while Dr. Morten Villumsen exposed the data on physical behaviours and musculoskeletal pains.

An important moment of the meeting was the round table, during which the expert and the participants had the opportunity to examine in depth the typical musculoskeletal disorders and the related useful behaviours to prevent and solve them. This meeting was not only an opportunity to discuss with the audience, mainly composed of young doctors interested in the field, but it was also a moment of theoretical and practical learning, which allowed them to acquire fundamental skills for their profession.

What is unique about P4W is its focus on dissemination and prevention. In this perspective, a competition was announced within the event with the specific intent to promote innovative ideas in the field of prevention of musculoskeletal disorders, by the creation of a video. The winner was David Villuendas, awarded with the Idea titled “Pain in your work? Be active and change your position frequently” and invited to participate to the next P4W Symposium in Denmark.

To learn more about the project and the event, visit the website, the Facebook page and the project’s YouTube channel, where you will find information and videos about the initiative.