Measures of Success: Real and Potential

The experiences of people with upper-limb amputations vary significantly compared to people with lower-limb amputations, and their prosthetic care poses unique challenges as well-it's generally accepted that there is a much larger percentage of people with upper-limb amputations for whom prosthetic rehabilitation is unsuccessful. However, success in this patient population may differ from traditional notions of prosthetic success, as Phil Stevens, MEd, CPO, FAAOP, discusses in " Defining Success at Higher Levels ." One key takeaway in the article is that, while certainly desirable, the goal of patients wearing their prostheses all day, every day, is not essential to the definition of success. Rather, using a prosthesis for specific activities, and as often as the patient wants, are more reasonable criteria to define successful upper-limb prosthetic care. Thus, achieving favorable outcomes when working with this patient population may lie in establishing a different set of expectations. One of the aforementioned goals for success is using a prosthesis for specific activities, and that can be crucial to help patients with upper-limb amputations live life to the fullest, according to the prosthetists and patients interviewed in " Thrive! Reinventing Life with Activity-Specific Prostheses ." While these prostheses may not help people with their activities of daily living, they nevertheless play a key role in allowing their users to be as engaged as they want to be in various hobbies, sports, or community activities-an essential part of a healthy, balanced life. " 3D Printing in Upper-Limb Prosthetics: Present Reality, Future Potential " explores the way in which additive manufacturing may impact how upper-limb prostheses are produced now and in the future. In this feature, we look at the 3D partial hands produced by volunteers from open-source schematics available through the e-NABLE organization. As noted by the founder of that organization and the prosthetists The O&P EDGE spoke with for the article, an important factor to remember about these devices is that they are just tools, with limitations, rather than fully functional prosthetic devices. However, with prosthetists involved in designing and fitting 3D-printed sockets and devices, the evolving technology may eventually offer a viable fabrication method for fully functioning prostheses. This feature provides a glimpse into a few of the projects in process. Those who provide care for individuals with upper-limb differences face particular challenges as they try to produce something to replicate the human hand-the exceptional dexterity of the human hand is, after all, one of the things that we tend to think of as setting us apart from other animals. Each of the stories in this issue was chosen with you in mind, with the goal of providing a new perspective on this specialized aspect of patient care. We hope you take away some new information that will serve you well. Happy reading.

Measures of Success: Real and Potential

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DME MAC A Releases Prepayment Review Results for LSOs, L-0631/L-0637

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