The Gravitational Pull of O&#038;P

To hear the episode, visit radiidevices.substack.com , or continue below for a transcript. How have your experiences in O&P informed your work? Brian : Only a handful of individuals fit the user/researcher/clinician role. I like to take advantage of all my experiences and learnings to help others. No matter where I go in my career, even if it’s outside of the O&P field, I will always be connected to it and want to be a part of the field in some way. There’s this gravitational pull bringing me back to the field. I love to give back to the O&P field as a professor, guest speaker, industry researcher, or educator. Jenn : I’ve been fortunate to have a professional journey that has offered a wide range of experiences that I can pull from and apply to the work I’m doing now. Being able to draw from experiences in patient care, clinical education, testing/development (being tasked to break things is always a highlight), process development and operational strategies has become an invaluable bank of knowledge. These experiences, and at times painful learnings, have been instrumental when developing technology based clinical solution. Working with digital tools that are developed and supported independent of clinical input are often noticeably different in both their user experience and functional design. Being able to liaison between the intended customer and creator often has a beneficial influence in the development process, helping produce a solution that directly addresses the customers’ needs and is ultimately implemented and adopted successfully. How fast is the industry changing? How much do you think the industry has changed? Jenn : The industry landscape is changing very quickly. The move towards vertical integration continues to gain momentum and it will be interesting, as well as vital, to understand how the O&P industry will be affected or transformed over time. I’m interested and anxious to see how this integration will affect innovation? Will there be a pooling of resources that fosters collaboration to address larger projects that previously might not have been feasible? Often it’s been said that this industry isn’t large enough to drive or influence technology development because ‘O&P is just too small’. Until recently, we’ve been heavily reliant on outside industries to develop technology. We then have to repurpose for our needs because often our clinical and technical requirements are extraordinarily specific; to develop or create a specific O&P solution, while it may be plausible, has not been economically feasible to do or justify. Will the evolving landscape create more opportunity for technological advancements once considered not plausible? If yes, what kind of innovations will be possible and how accessible will they be across the industry? My apologies, I recognize I’m answering your questions with more questions. Brian : This field is constantly changing. I've been a person with amputations for many decades, and I have seen change in every aspect of the field. Component evolution, passive to passive control to active control, suspension, sockets, and even osseointegration just in the past 30 years. So I am excited to see where we are going in the next 30 years. The technology exists, it just takes time for it to get into the O&P field. We see improvements in methods, materials, and enhancing sockets and components, which is great. For example, I’ve witnessed big leaps in technology like microprocessor knees and feet, which positively impacted an individual’s life. I am excited for the future because I don't think we've taken advantage of all the existing technology and user information. From a clinician's standpoint, socket development has gone through several starts and stops. New technology like CAD CAM is introduced. There are complications, and then a majority of the field doesn’t adopt or returns to previous methods. As we move into a digital world with improved scanning and additive manufacturing, there may be a few starts and stops, but as a field, we should take the time to learn and make the most of the available digital tools. One final quick question—what is your ‘north star’ in O&P? Jenn : I’m a firm believer in ‘leave it better than you found it.’ Whether it’s through material science, technology or process improvement, how can we improve O&P care and services. My ‘north star’ is to always be looking for how can we do better? Brian : From a user’s perspective, I would love for us to better understand manufacturing, specifically, digital manufacturing to be able to create more comfortable sockets. Manufacturing sockets with variable stiffness may improve user comfort and increase wear time. Thanks to Jenn and Brian for their time! We hope that through following Clinicians Insights, you feel part of an ongoing conversation that furthers understanding of digital technology and research, supporting O&P practitioners who provide our patients with the best comfort, fit and socket fitting experience. If you’ve got thoughts, opinions or insight to share we’d like to hear from you; please feel welcome to get in touch at jenny@radiidevices.com We’re excited to continue the series next month. Watch this space!

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The Gravitational Pull of O&P

How have your experiences in O&P informed your work?

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Related posts:

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O&P Foundation Accepting Scholarship Applications

O&P Foundation Accepting Scholarship Applications

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Certified Prosthetist Orthotist (CPO)

Shriners Children’s Twin Cities

Certified Prosthetist/Orthotist (CPO), Certified Prosthetist (CP), Certified Orthotist (CO), Certified Prosthetist/Orthotist Assistant (CPOA), or Certified Orthotist Assistant (COA)

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