Supervision plays an important role in helping physiotherapists practise safely and confidently. 

Advanced practice physiotherapists are an integral part of how Australians access care and I am proud to announce the introduction of an advanced practice physiotherapy titling evidence portfolio pathway pilot, which recognises their work in a formal and nationally consistent way. 

As the role of physiotherapists continues to evolve, new opportunities are emerging for the profession to work to its full scope of practice. 

One area where this is already occurring is prescribing – in specific settings and locations, advanced practice physiotherapists are currently authorised to prescribe certain medications. 

Pulmonary rehabilitation research highlights

A group of Australian physiotherapists, including clinicians, researchers and academics, conducted a narrative review on recent research in pulmonary rehabilitation. First author Tiffany Dwyer answers some questions here. 

Dr Marita Dale APAM is a senior lecturer and researcher at the University of Sydney. 

While her main area of research is in cardiorespiratory physiotherapy, she has a particular interest in qualitative research. 

Physiotherapy in Australia is growing rapidly, both in numbers and in the breadth of what our profession contributes to Australians’ health. 

As of March 2026, Australia has more than 50,000 registered physiotherapists, while the APA represents close to 37,000. 

We are approaching the size of the psychology profession and are on track to become Australia’s third-largest regulated health profession. 

To borrow a line from Uncle Ben in Spider-Man, ‘With great power comes great responsibility.’ 

Dr Alana Dinsdale APAM started working clinically in 2012, predominantly in the musculoskeletal space, but didn’t initially think about getting into research.

However, after treating many patients with neck problems, and particularly temporomandibular disorders (TMDs), she realised there was a gap in the research for TMDs from a physiotherapy rehabilitation perspective.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has come to dominate the tech sphere over the past five years and its influence has spread into other fields, including healthcare.

Its growing presence has prompted the APA to release a position statement on the use of AI in physiotherapy.

While other bodies such as Ahpra have already released statements about AI, we felt it was important to provide guidance specific to physiotherapy.