Making Connections, Gaining Perspectives

Too often, technology intended to connect us seems to do the opposite as we spend more time engaging with electronic devices than with the humans who operate them. But, with the physical distance between healthcare colleagues-and sometimes patients-and people in need of specialty services in rural areas with limited ability to travel, technology that divides us can be used to bring people closer together, enhancing quality patient care across the state or around the globe. As Miki Fairley explores in this issue's cover feature about telerehabilitation and its potential within O&P, teleconferencing and remote programming features of devices can be used as an adjunct to physical encounters, not as a substitute for them. O&P professionals and occupational and physical therapists may use telerehabilitation to enhance services to patients and share knowledge with colleagues too distant for in-person interaction. While use within the broader rehabilitation spectrum is fairly well established, this article shows O&P is beginning to use this technology to add another layer of service without losing that important personal connection of face-to-face care. " Building Relationships " stresses the importance of making long-term connections with local governments, practitioners, and communities when participating in O&P humanitarian projects. We spoke with several well-established, U. S.-based O&P organizations to gain insight into the relationships that help them provide ongoing care to patients within the less-resourced communities they serve. These individuals say that in addition to finding the key stakeholders, building a connection with them, and gaining an understanding of the local culture, it is imperative to train in-country staff to sustain ongoing services when U.S. volunteers return home. Phil Stevens, MEd, CPO, FAAOP, provides an overview of the prosthetic outcome measures work of two researchers hailing from our neighbor to the north. Despite the thousands of miles that separate them, Canadians A. Barry Deathe, MD, FRCP(C), and William C. Miller, MSc, PhD, OT, have collaborated to, notably, develop the L Test of Functional Mobility and pioneer the use of the Activities-specific Balance Confidence Scale for individuals with lower-limb loss. So, returning to my reflections on modern technology, I hope this issue will spur you to look at creative ways that you can reach beyond the surface of that electronic contact to make connections and further perspectives. Congratulations to Joann Marx, CPO, FAAOP, Northport VA Medical Center, New York; Debbie Hall, Progressive Prosthetic & Orthopedic Services, Virginia; and Alexis Gagliardotto, Florida, who each won an Amazon Fire in the The O&P EDGE/Amplitude drawing at the Annual Meeting & Scientific Symposium of the American Academy of Orthotists and Prosthetists.

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Making Connections, Gaining Perspectives

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