Representatives of the Department of Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, and Physical Education of TNMU Took Part in the 3rd All-Ukrainian Congress on Physical Therapy 2025
On September 12–13, 2025, the All-Ukrainian Congress on Physical Therapy 2025 “Best Practices for the Development of Physical Therapy in Wartime and Post-War Period” was held in Lviv. The event gathered over 400 participants from all over Ukraine—physical therapists, PRM physicians, occupational therapists, nurses, Ukrainian and international experts, representatives of state institutions, university lecturers, NGOs, and members of patient and veteran communities—working together to develop high-quality and accessible rehabilitation in Ukraine.
Ternopil National Medical University was represented by the Head of the Department of Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, and Physical Education, Professor Daria Popovych, and department assistant, physical therapist, and clinical training coordinator Andrii Havrylenko.
The Congress focused on:
Sustainable changes in rehabilitation and the role of professional communities in shaping them. Speakers and participants analyzed the functioning of the rehabilitation system during wartime in Ukraine, identified challenges in rehabilitating defenders of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and set tasks for the development of physical therapy and the professional growth of physical therapists. The Congress also addressed the sustainability of approaches and international cooperation. While rapid response initiatives were crucial at the beginning of the full-scale invasion, by the fourth year of the war, the focus shifted to building systemic and sustainable changes in rehabilitation. The professional community of Ukrainian physical therapists has become not only a reliable partner for the government and international organizations but also a filter to ensure the implementation of only relevant models adapted to the Ukrainian context. Leadership—both collective and personal—was emphasized as a key factor.
Directions of rehabilitation development. Alongside such relevant areas as ortho- and neurorehabilitation and community-based rehabilitation (through interdisciplinary cooperation, introduction of one-stop services, continuity of the rehabilitation process, and accessibility), several new directions for Ukraine were highlighted:
• physical therapy in intensive care units, particularly the need to develop a strategy for implementing PT in the acute phase of rehabilitation;
• pediatric physical therapy, with an emphasis on continuity of care, functional assessment, and collaboration with inclusive education and social services;
• rehabilitation of oncology patients, a new but highly engaging topic for Ukrainian specialists.
Quality of services and staffing. The Congress addressed issues of service quality and human resources. The All-Ukrainian Association of Physical Therapists expressed support for the National Health Service of Ukraine in maintaining requirements for the number of specialists needed for contracting and reimbursement within the Medical Guarantees Program.
Thus, ensuring the sustainability of approaches, strengthening system capacity, and developing professional competencies remain key tasks for the professional community. Physical therapy and rehabilitation must be high-quality, free of charge, and accessible in Ukraine.
The Congress included workshops, networking sessions, lectures, reports, and panel discussions. Together with leading Ukrainian and international experts, rehabilitation specialists worked on priority areas for strengthening rehabilitation in Ukraine. The most important topics included evidence-based rehabilitation, strengthening PT in acute rehabilitation, building pediatric rehabilitation, developing oncology rehabilitation, advancing community-based rehabilitation (including one-stop services), and strengthening multidisciplinary rehabilitation teams. The Congress also recognized the best specialists in the field, creating a platform for exchanging experience, new knowledge, and modern approaches. Events like this are crucial for the development of specialty I7 “Therapy and Rehabilitation” and for the implementation of effective practices in the clinical work of physical therapists, as well as the application of evidence-based rehabilitation methods.
The event was organized by the NGO All-Ukrainian Association of Physical Therapists together with the Rehabilitation of War Injuries initiative, implemented by the Patients of Ukraine CF, with the support of the World Health Organization in Ukraine and the European Union in Ukraine, the Ukrainian Red Cross, the International Committee of the Red Cross, Zaporuka CF, Soleterre, the Institute of Vertebrology and Rehabilitation, the Ukrainian-Norwegian rehabilitation project Sunnaas sykehus HF, with the assistance of the Presidential Advisor-Commissioner on Accessibility Issues Tetiana Lomakina, the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, and the National Health Service of Ukraine.
Event partners: Physiopedia, Coventry University, NGO All-Ukrainian Association of Persons with Disabilities “Active Rehabilitation Group”, Lviv Regional Clinical Perinatal Center, and Andrey Krupynskyi Lviv Medical Academy.