Orthotist

Few diseases globally require treatment from so many different disciplines as diabetes-related foot disease. At least 25 different professionals may be involved: casting technicians, dermatologists, diabetes (educator) nurses, diabetologists, dieticians, endocrinologists, general practitioners, human movement scientists, infectious diseases experts, microbiologists, nuclear medicine physicians, orthopaedic surgeons, orthotists, pedorthists, physical therapists, plastic surgeons, podiatric surgeons, podiatrists, prosthetists, psychologists, radiologists, social workers, tissue viability physicians, vascular surgeons, and wound care nurses...

Conjoined twins are identical twins joined in utero and are a rare phenomenon. This report discusses a case of female thoraco-omphalo-ischiopagus tripus conjoined twins. The twins were separated at age two, and once medically stable, spent one month in inpatient rehabilitation to improve their sitting balance and gross motor skills. This was followed by outpatient physical therapy. The twins initially had customized ZipZac seats, which they were able to wheel independently. After six months of therapy, the girls began walking with posterior walkers and prostheses...

Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis is a complex three-dimensional deformity of the spine, the moderate forms of which require treatment with an orthopedic brace. Existing brace design approaches rely mainly on empirical manual processes, vary considerably depending on the training and expertise of the orthotist, and do not always guarantee biomechanical effectiveness. To address these issues, we propose a new automated design method for creating bespoke nighttime braces requiring virtually no user input in the process...

BACKGROUND: Prosthetists and orthotists (POs) are essential members of the health care workforce and one of the United Kingdom's (UK's) allied health professions. There is a paucity of information on their demographics, which is essential for the development of the profession. To fill this void, this study has attempted to comprehensively explore the sociodemographics and work-related characteristics of the entire workforce. METHODS: Data were collected in 2022 through multiple sources, including surveys of POs, private companies employing POs, and freedom of information requests to National Health Service Trusts/Health Boards and higher education institutes offering programs leading to registration as a prosthetist/orthotist...

BACKGROUND: Prosthetists and orthotists (POs) are the smallest of the 14 allied health profession (AHP) workforces within NHS England. Obtaining data on the workforce has always been challenging due to this information being held across different organisations. An understanding of the prosthetic and orthotic (P&O) workforce is essential to ensure that it is adequately equipped to meet the evolving needs of users of P&O services. The study aims to estimate the size and composition, for the first time, of the UK P&O workforce and P&O service provision...

INTRODUCTION: Interprofessional leadership is essential to sustain the National Health Service (NHS) in pressured times, which should include the NHS's third largest clinical workforce in England: allied health professionals (AHPs) (AHPs as defined by NHS England: Art therapists; Dramatherapists; Music therapists; Dietitians; Occupational therapists; Operating department practitioners; Orthoptists; Osteopaths; Paramedics; Physiotherapists; Podiatrists, Prosthetists and Orthotists; Radiographers; Speech and language therapists)...

BACKGROUND: Diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) add a significant burden to the lives of people with diabetes in the United Kingdom. They can have a considerable impact on a patient's daily life, with treatment requiring frequent changes of dressings and clinic attendances. Nurses and other allied health professionals (AHPs) within the community provide most wound care representing the primary cost driver. AIMS: To collaboratively explore key resource use related to the management of DFUs to develop, and pilot, a participant-reported measure to inform economic evaluations...

BACKGROUND: This qualitative study was designed to investigate parental adherence to cranial remolding orthotic (CRO) treatment of infants with positional cranial deformities. METHODS: A qualitative content analysis was employed in this study. Researchers sought to find parental behavior while using a CRO for their infant with cranial deformity. Through in-depth and in-person interviews, researchers collected data from 22 participants using semi-structured questions regarding adherence to CRO treatment...

Millions of Americans wear ankle-foot orthotic devices for protection, pain relief, and deformity correction. Inquiries about off-the-shelf and custom devices are a common reason for evaluation with a foot and ankle surgeon or general orthopaedic surgeon. Despite limited high-quality evidence for their use, these devices can have a notable clinical impact on physical function. An up-to-date understanding of orthotic device options and their appropriate use in managing musculoskeletal pathologies applies to all orthopaedic providers...

INTRODUCTION: Craniosynostosis results from premature fusion of the cranial sutures. There has been a continuous evolution of surgical correction techniques from an extensive open procedure to the minimally invasive technique. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: This novel surgical technique has never been previously done in the UAE and this article documents the experience of the first team to endoscopically correct craniosynostosis with planning, surgical techniques, and customized helmet therapy...

PURPOSE: This study presents item analysis results of the 26 health personnel licensing examinations managed by the Korea Health Personnel Licensing Examination Institute (KHPLEI) in 2022. METHODS: The item difficulty index, item discrimination index, and reliability were calculated. The item discrimination index was calculated using a discrimination index based on the upper and lower 27% rule and the item-total correlation. RESULTS: Out of 468,352 total examinees, 418,887 (89...

BACKGROUND: Around the globe there are 2.4 billion people in need of rehabilitation. Disability and rehabilitation have not gained much importance in the public health arena, possibly due to limited research and awareness regarding the significance of rehabilitation. This study aimed to provide an in-depth understanding of the barriers and facilitators to the provision and utilization of rehabilitation services in public sector tertiary care hospitals of Karachi, Pakistan. METHODOLOGY: This qualitative exploratory study was conducted from August to September 2015 in two tertiary care hospitals of Karachi...

BACKGROUND: Iran, like many other countries, has committed to providing universal and equal access to health care and rehabilitation for people with disabilities by joining the Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities. Thus, this study aimed to examine the availability of rehabilitation facilities on national and sub-national levels. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted between May and December 2019. The data of rehabilitation facilities including infrastructure and rehabilitation workforce in health system settings were obtained using rehabilitation master list...

PURPOSE: A common methodological limitation of research that guides surgical procedure selection for children's elective lower limb orthopaedic surgeries is inconsistent outcome selection. Improving outcome consistency can be achieved through the development of a core outcome set (COS). The aim of this study is to identify which outcomes are considered important for children's elective lower limb orthopaedic surgeries by allied health professionals (AHPs) and explore why they select these outcomes, to inform a COS development project...

» Pediatric hand and upper limb differences include a wide range of conditions that may be genetic, part of a syndrome, or arise from birth trauma or an unknown cause.» Because of the variety of conditions and complexity of care requiring professionals from multiple disciplines, the Pediatric Hand Team is similar in purpose to the coordinated multidisciplinary care provided by Craniofacial Panels for children with craniofacial anomalies. Pediatric hand surgeons are trained to lead and coordinate the care of children with these differences, and the Pediatric Hand Team includes occupational and/or certified hand therapists, child life specialists, geneticists and genetic counselors, prosthetists and orthotists, pediatric physical medicine and rehabilitation physicians, pediatric orthopaedic surgeons, pediatric anesthesiologists, and social workers and psychologists...

INTRODUCTION: Over the past 20 years, military medicine made great strides in the medical management of traumatically injured patients. Significant advancements were made in the treatment and rehabilitation after limb loss. These advancements can be attributed to the large number of complex patients presenting to military treatment facilities and the demand for medical professionals to provide care to patients with complex injuries and multiple traumatic amputations. The concern now is to maintain the skills needed to be prepared for the next conflict...

Limb amputation is a consequence, and the leading complication, of diabetic foot ulcers. Prevention depends on prompt diagnosis and management. Patients should be managed by multidisciplinary teams and efforts should be focused on limb salvage ("time is tissue"). The diabetic foot service should be organized in a way to meet the patient's clinical needs, with the diabetic foot centers at the highest level of this structure. Surgical management should be multimodal and include not only revascularization, but also surgical and biological debridement, minor amputations, and advanced wound therapy...

OBJECTIVE: To determine the diagnostic accuracy and reliability of the Harris imprint index (HII), Chippaux-Smirak index (CSI), and Staheli index (SI) compared with the talar-first metatarsal angle. METHODS: Data was collected at the orthotic and prosthetic clinic, Thammasat University Hospital from January 1, 2016 to August 31, 2020. The three footprints were measured by the rehabilitation physician and the orthotist. The talar-first metatarsal angle was measured by the foot and ankle orthopaedist...

A number of textile-based fiber optic sensors have recently been proposed for the continuous monitoring of vital signs. However, some of these sensors are likely unsuitable for conducting direct measurements on the torso as they lack elasticity and are inconvenient. This project provides a novel method for creating a force-sensing smart textile by inlaying four silicone-embedded fiber Bragg grating sensors into a knitted undergarment. The applied force was determined within 3 N after transferring the Bragg wavelength...

INTRODUCTION: Physical boundaries to access skilled orthotist or hand therapy care may be hindered by multiple factors, such as geography, or availability. This study evaluated the accuracy of fitting a prefabricated wrist splint using an app on a smart device. We hypothesize that remote brace fitting by artificial intelligence (AI) can accurately determine the brace size the patient needs without in-person fitting. METHODS: Healthy volunteers were recruited to fit wrist braces...