The American Orthotic & Prosthetic Association (AOPA) has issued a Request for Proposal (RFP 111013) to solicit applications for experienced academic institutions to act as the chief scientist and principal investigator of an evidence-based statement relating to the orthotic management of stroke patients. The deadline for applications is December 20, 2012. Completion of the process will result in best practices that can be referenced by professionals involved in the care of these individuals.
The scope of the project includes assessment, design and provision of orthoses for upper and lower limbs following stroke, encompassing all phases of the rehabilitation process as well as the ongoing provision for orthotic management throughout the lifetime of the patient.
Key responsibilities of the chief scientist and principal investigator, in collaboration with an AOPA-assembled Stroke Evidence Based Practice Statement Work Group are to:
- prepare a framework for an Assessment and Treatment Pathway, a potential algorithm that would encompass all key decision points and episodes of care following stroke.
- determine best practice by aligning findings of systematic review with episodes of care to identify measurable outcomes.
- compile all of the above into a single document which will be a working draft of the practice standard.
- modify the draft document to reflect the decisions and input of the practice standards reference group and prepare the final document for publication.
AOPA is targeting up to $50,000 for the grant, although applicants are encouraged to submit proposals for the amount they deem necessary and commensurate with the work, supported by both proposal and budget.
Deadlines related to the post-award process include conducting and delivering the systematic review of the literature to the working group by June 1, 2013, delivering drafts to the expert reference group by September 1, 2013, presenting the systematic literature review at the 2013 AOPA World Congress in September, and submitting the research manuscript to peer-reviewed medical journals for publication under authorship of the entire working group by December 1, 2013.
Complete submission details can be found on the AOPA website.
