Population Growth Demands More O&P Education

A fundamental global change is required in the approach to the underlying educational assumptions of the O&P profession. As of 2011, more than a billion people experienced disability, one-third of whom are children, and the numbers are increasing at a staggering rate. World population in 2011 was 7 billion, 7.8 billion in 2020. The numbers of persons with disability (PWD) will increase in tandem. This is also inclusive of great advancements in medical treatments and technology (i.e., people are living longer), but which also results in inadequate access to appropriate contemporary O&P care (usually, but not exclusively, in developing countries). A paper referenced in "The State of the Profession: A Practitioner Population Survey," (The O&P EDGE, September 2020) predicted that by 2020 only 61 percent of orthotic patients and 64 percent of prosthetic patients would be served by the current professional growth rate in the United States. This was further reinforced by results of the 2015 Dobson and DaVanzo study estimating the need to increase O&P practitioners by 60 percent to fulfill demand by 2025. The sad fact, however, is that no one is academically prepared to supply even close to sufficient numbers of qualified O&P practitioners. Efforts to correct this critical deficit should have begun about 50 or more years ago, with the effort multiplied each succeeding year. The sheer magnitude of world population growth requires that current practitioners, invested in a continuing sequence of contemporary O&P care, treatment, and rehabilitation, must overwhelmingly demand and support the notion of a worldwide working commission aimed quickly but carefully at increasing O&P educational initiative, incentive, and opportunity from the currently miniscule numbers of accredited teaching facilities. We must begin immediately to develop and implement solutions, void of as much political implication as possible, so that we may set a new and better course, not only toward securing the future of our profession, but also for the generations of PWDs. An influx of accredited O&P schools must become available, soonest, followed by significant numbers of daily working clinicians treating patients, along with the guidance and wisdom of skilled teacher-mentors—not researchers, business executives, or those selling/marketing prefabricated devices. Yes, countries with formal academic O&P educational processes in place, including accreditation and recognition of competency, and are slightly ahead of the game. However, this situation is all-encompassing and relative when considering the expanding world population, which sends a clear signal of looming, critical shortfalls that have been ignored or overlooked in management of the O&P profession. Indeed, we believe that the formation of an International Working Group, led by the World Health Organization and/or the US Agency for International Development, is required immediately, with primary leadership nominations of people and organizations who have significant and long-term contribution, experience, and exposure in dealing with a multitude of O&P national and international educational issues. We ask the profession to suggest solutions and for members of the working group. It is our sincere hope to see many workable solutions generated very soon. It is up to all of us to fix this. William C. Neumann, CPO, can be contacted at wcnbkk@yahoo.com. Christian Schlierf, CEO, Human Study, can be contacted at www.cschlierf@human-study.org. To read their paper, "A Global Shift in the Paradigm of O&P Educational Process," click here. . The views and opinions expressed by the authors of this paper do not necessarily reflect the views of The O&P EDGE .

Population Growth Demands More O&P Education

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