<img style="float: right;" src="https://opedge.com/Content/OldArticles/images/2005-03_08/Fairley-Miki.jpg" hspace="4" vspace="4" /> O&P and allied rehab professionals are looking forward to the first joint meeting of the American Academy of Orthotists & Prosthetists and the Association of Childrens Prosthetic-Orthotic Clinics (ACPOC) this month (March 16-19) in Orlando, Florida. This multidisciplinary meeting for O&P is expected to maximize participants learning potential, as well as expose other members of the rehab team: orthopedic surgeons, other physicians, nurses, and physical and occupational therapists. One registration fee opens all the doors (the special clinical techniques sessions, which were an immediate sellout in 2004, require an additional $75 registration fee). Robin Crandall, MD, Hugh Watts, MD, Ivan Krajbich, MD, and Robert Lipschutz, CP, will discuss diagnostic and treatment options for PFFD patients. Randal R. Betz, MD, chief of staff of Shriners Hospitals-Philadelphia, will discuss electrical stimulation and bracing issues. Implications of surgical, orthotic, and physical therapy options using outcome-oriented treatment plans will be the subject of another session. A new Academy fellow certificate program, "Orthotic Management of the CVA Stroke Patient," debuts this year, and a panel on licensure will stimulate attendees thinking on this vital subject for O&P. Also planned are two days of high-quality technical education on "Maximizing Patient Safety: Materials Science in P&O Design," with noted presenters John Michael, MS, CPO, FAAOP, and renowned Australian rehabilitation engineer Bill Contoyannis. And registered mastectomy fitters can earn all of the PCE credits for their five-year certification at the events fitter program. <h4>Survive and Thrive</h4> In current difficult times for O&P, several business owners share how they are not only surviving but thriving. Find out how they do it in the feature article, "<a href="edge/issues/articles/2005-03_01.asp">Think Smart in Tough Times</a>." <h4>Building Patient Trust</h4> A high level of technical skills, as important as it is, is not enough alone to ensure patient trust and compliance. In the article, "<a href="edge/issues/articles/2005-03_05.asp">The Key to Creating Patient Trust</a>," Toni Gitles and Harriet Cavanah Dart, CPed, discuss how you--and your staff--can acquire "people skills" that smooth your practitioner-patient relationships. <h4>Neuroprosthetics: Next Generation?</h4> Shortly after finishing his orthotic and prosthetic residency, Philip Muccio, CPO, became fascinated with neuroprosthetics. These electrical stimulation technologies can improve and help restore function and reduce pain, thus aiding the rehabilitation process. Muccios research led him into developing a suit and other interfaces; his technology aided actor Christopher Reeve. To read more about this technology, turn to the article "<a href="edge/issues/articles/2005-03_06.asp">Neuroprosthetics: The Next Generation of Orthotic and Prosthetic Services</a>." See you at the Academy/ACPOC meeting! Please stop by and visit <i>The O&P EDGE</i> team at Booth No. 22A.
<img style="float: right;" src="https://opedge.com/Content/OldArticles/images/2005-03_08/Fairley-Miki.jpg" hspace="4" vspace="4" /> O&P and allied rehab professionals are looking forward to the first joint meeting of the American Academy of Orthotists & Prosthetists and the Association of Childrens Prosthetic-Orthotic Clinics (ACPOC) this month (March 16-19) in Orlando, Florida. This multidisciplinary meeting for O&P is expected to maximize participants learning potential, as well as expose other members of the rehab team: orthopedic surgeons, other physicians, nurses, and physical and occupational therapists. One registration fee opens all the doors (the special clinical techniques sessions, which were an immediate sellout in 2004, require an additional $75 registration fee). Robin Crandall, MD, Hugh Watts, MD, Ivan Krajbich, MD, and Robert Lipschutz, CP, will discuss diagnostic and treatment options for PFFD patients. Randal R. Betz, MD, chief of staff of Shriners Hospitals-Philadelphia, will discuss electrical stimulation and bracing issues. Implications of surgical, orthotic, and physical therapy options using outcome-oriented treatment plans will be the subject of another session. A new Academy fellow certificate program, "Orthotic Management of the CVA Stroke Patient," debuts this year, and a panel on licensure will stimulate attendees thinking on this vital subject for O&P. Also planned are two days of high-quality technical education on "Maximizing Patient Safety: Materials Science in P&O Design," with noted presenters John Michael, MS, CPO, FAAOP, and renowned Australian rehabilitation engineer Bill Contoyannis. And registered mastectomy fitters can earn all of the PCE credits for their five-year certification at the events fitter program. <h4>Survive and Thrive</h4> In current difficult times for O&P, several business owners share how they are not only surviving but thriving. Find out how they do it in the feature article, "<a href="edge/issues/articles/2005-03_01.asp">Think Smart in Tough Times</a>." <h4>Building Patient Trust</h4> A high level of technical skills, as important as it is, is not enough alone to ensure patient trust and compliance. In the article, "<a href="edge/issues/articles/2005-03_05.asp">The Key to Creating Patient Trust</a>," Toni Gitles and Harriet Cavanah Dart, CPed, discuss how you--and your staff--can acquire "people skills" that smooth your practitioner-patient relationships. <h4>Neuroprosthetics: Next Generation?</h4> Shortly after finishing his orthotic and prosthetic residency, Philip Muccio, CPO, became fascinated with neuroprosthetics. These electrical stimulation technologies can improve and help restore function and reduce pain, thus aiding the rehabilitation process. Muccios research led him into developing a suit and other interfaces; his technology aided actor Christopher Reeve. To read more about this technology, turn to the article "<a href="edge/issues/articles/2005-03_06.asp">Neuroprosthetics: The Next Generation of Orthotic and Prosthetic Services</a>." See you at the Academy/ACPOC meeting! Please stop by and visit <i>The O&P EDGE</i> team at Booth No. 22A.