Researchers at the University of Southampton, England, won more than £900,000 (more than $1.25 million) to fund a project to improve access to prostheses in lower- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The team will lead two studies in Cambodia to develop digital tools to improve access to O&P services, train clinicians, and ensure funding is spent more efficiently.
The university estimates that 80-90 percent of people worldwide do not have access to O&P services because of a shortage of personnel, service units, and health rehabilitation infrastructures. The higher incidence of traumatic amputations in LMICs caused by accidents, conflict, and landmines means people with O&P needs are typically younger, with more physically active years ahead of them, than users in more economically developed countries.
Alex Dickinson, PhD, a mechanical engineer at the University of Southampton who is leading the project, and colleagues from health sciences, medicine, electronics, and computer science have spent three years building the project and the partnerships to help it deliver real-world impact. The research studies will investigate digital measurement tools to assess a user’s residual limb anatomy, biomechanics of gait, typical daily prosthetic limb use, and health status; and the architecture for a portable digital patient case note system that will include a robust and secure IT network for travelling prosthetists to visit provincial areas to provide evidence-based treatment for those in remote communities who cannot afford to travel.
Key to the project, say the researchers, is a user-led research model, where the prosthetists, physiotherapists, community workers, and patients themselves are involved in directing the technical work.
“These technologies have the potential to transform the quality of life of prosthetic limb users worldwide and are needed today,” said Dickinson. “A more portable P&O service would enable people to access provision, fitting, adjustment, and repair of their prosthetics with reduced time off work—essential where an agricultural worker spends their day’s earnings on the same day’s food. Prosthetists would access and update case notes for their patients, provide a repository for clinician training, and enable users to access information regarding their progress and report problems to obtain critical treatment.”
The three-year project is one of 15 that received a total of £16 million (approximately $22.3 million) in funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and the National Institute for Health Research through the Global Challenges Research Fund to support cutting-edge technology that addresses challenges faced by LMICs.
Editor’s note: This story was adapted from materials provided by the University of Southampton.
