Sharing Ideas across Borders

In reflecting on this issue of The O&P EDGE, with its theme of international cooperation, I kept circling back to the concept of sharing ideas and knowledge across cultures and countries-something that always makes the world just a little bit smaller, as I believe a shared understanding brings people closer together. It may be sharing knowledge to help grow O&P programs with healthcare workers in developing countries, such as ProsthetiKa’s partnerships in Haiti, Mexico, and Bolivia. Or it may be learning from people in those countries what works for local environments and activities common to the region such as barefoot walking or working in wet fields, as evidenced in the prosthetic design modifications Mobility Outreach International employs based on the particular region in which it is working (“Growing O&P in Developing Countries“). Or it may come in gaining insight from a guide developed across the pond, as in “Lessons from Scotland: Best Practices in the Use of AFOs Following Stroke“. Whatever the venue, international information exchange is invaluable in broadening perspectives. I hope some of you will have the opportunity to experience information sharing sans borders firsthand this month at the OTWorld Congress in Leipzig, Germany, where speakers from more than 30 countries and visitors from more than 100 countries will gather to discuss developments in areas such as O&P, rehabilitation technology, orthopedic footwear, biomechanics, and pain management.