Two months on from Turin: Reflections on the first meeting of the International Society of Paediatric Oncology Rehabilitation & Physical Medicine Special Interest Group (SIOP RPM-SIG)      

It has been two months since our meeting in Turin, Italy in May, which is one part of our SIOP RPM-SIG project “From Isolation to Integration in Global Paediatric Oncology Rehabilitation and Physical Medicine”. This project aims to establish a strong network to effectively represent global paediatric oncology rehabilitation, define paediatric oncology rehabilitation and its providers, define goals of the SIOP RPM-SIG, and identify clinical and research gaps in paediatric oncology rehabilitation.

We have had some time to reflect and gain feedback on the weekend: We had 40 participants from 19 countries, representing six continents attend the meeting, all bringing a wealth of experience about childhood cancer rehabilitation and physical medicine to Turin. During the meeting, the attending rehabilitation and physical medicine professionals engaged in structured focus group discussions, but also had enough time for informal discussions and networking, visiting the beautiful city and eating delicious Italian food! The atmosphere during the meeting was buzzing with energy and excitement about meeting other professionals experiencing similar challenges all over the world.

Feedback about the meeting has been overwhelmingly positive. All participants felt the meeting met their expectations, and many highlighted the opportunities for networking, collaboration and learning. As an organising group, we felt the meeting was a big success and for many of us, a career highlight. We were united in the belief that almost all children with cancer will need rehabilitation of some form during their cancer trajectory, and are certain this first meeting will help us advance the field of childhood cancer rehabilitation and physical medicine.

We thank our funders and supporters, SIOP, Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology (The Netherlands) and Unione Genitori Italiani (Italy) for their vital assistance with making this event a reality.

The project group is currently working on analysing the focus group data from the meeting. Based on the results, they are developing a follow up survey which will soon be sent to the participants of the first survey, which received 227 responses from all over the world. The follow up survey aims to get consensus from the wider SIOP RPM-SIG on the results of the focus group discussions held in Turin.

To find out more, or join the SIOP RPM-SIG, please email us at rehabpm.sig@gmail.com

Abu Sidhanee (UK), Salome Christen (Switzerland), Francesca Rossi (Italy) & Rachael Keating (Ireland)