Physiotherapy students learn by caring for the pelvic health of the most vulnerable women

A group of students from the Degree in Physiotherapy at the San Juan de Dios University School of Nursing and Physiotherapy -Comillas (EUEF) have brought the "Squeeze & Lift" project back to life. This project aims to raise awareness among migrant women, victims of gender violence and prisoners about the importance of pelvic health, addressing this problem from a biopsychosocial perspective. 

Likewise, according to the lecturer and project coordinator, María Simarro, "the main objective of this initiative is also to raise awareness and train future health professionals in comprehensive care for women from a social justice and community healthperspective".

The "Squeeze & Lift" project is aimed at migrant women cared for by the NGO Salud entre Culturas and Ecos do Sur, users of the Luz Casanova Foundation, and women prisoners in the prisons of Brieva, Alcalá Meco and Estremera.

Pelvic Health Education Workshops

The pelvic health education workshops given by the students are characterised by being participative, dynamic and adapted to the cultural and linguistic context of the women. The future physiotherapists are able to create safe spaces where they and their clients can share, care for and learn from each other.

These sessions offer not only health content, but also spaces for meeting, trust and joint reflection.

In this process, the students have also learned to adapt, improvise and listen actively. "The most difficult thing has been adapting the content to the needs of each group," says Marcela Marcial, a physiotherapy student.

For her part, María Simarro emphasises that "service-learning allows students to apply knowledge of obstetric and urogynaecological physiotherapy in real contexts, reflect on their attitudes and connect with their future profession through empathy, compassion and commitment".

Collaborative work

The project has also been a pedagogical challenge that has required creativity, sensitivity and collaborative work on the part of the students. "One of the biggest challenges was trying to make all the women feel represented, but teamwork and creativity has been fundamental to achieve this. The project has made us realise the realities and problems that these women face, problems that one doesn't stop to think about at home and in their day-to-day routine", explains physiotherapy student Marta López.

In previous editions, "Squeeze & Lift" received the Uniservitate Award, which recognised it as one of the best service-learning programmes in Catholic educational institutions in southern Europe. A distinction that led its representatives to be received by Pope Francis in Rome.