Promoting Outcomes Management in Prosthetics Practice
Overview
Why is this study needed?
The need to measure and evaluate rehabilitation practice in general and prosthetic and orthotic (P&O) practice specifically has received growing recognition in the past several years. Patient perspectives on devices and services as well as satisfaction with services are widely recognized as important areas of rehabilitation and in healthcare.
How will this study help patients and rehabilitation stakeholders?
The P&O industry would benefit from a set of instruments that can accurately and conveniently measure important and relevant outcomes. Such an assessment could provide many benefits: assist the field develop evidence-based practice and clinical pathways, assure client satisfaction, supplement earnings reports, enhance payer relations and provide a means of implementing program accreditation.
What are the project objectives?
- Implement a Web-based data reporting system based on our previous work, which we call the Orthotics and Prosthetics Users' Survey (OPUS).
- Recruit American Board for Certification in Orthotics and Prosthetics (ABC)-accredited facilities to participate in routine data collection and reporting.
- Provide semi-annual reports to facilities on patients' functional status, quality of life and satisfaction with services and equipment.
- Evaluate facility use of outcomes reports and actions they take to improve patient services.
How will the project objectives be achieved?
- Objective 1:
Secure an encrypted, Web-based data entry system for P&O facilities to report OPUS data.
- Objective 2:
Work with ABC to recruit accredited P&O clinics to participate in this study.
- Objective 3:
Begin providing semi-annual reports to facilities after 30 facilities have reported data for at least six months.
- Objective 4:
Work with ABC to design a survey questionnaire to assess what actions P&O facilities have taken to improve patient outcomes.
What agency funded the project?
National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR)
What is the duration of the project?
October 01, 2003 - November 30, 2008
Project Staff
Principal Investigator:
Allen Heinemann, Ph.D., Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago
Co-Investigators:
Dr. Dudley. S. Childress, Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago
Catherine A. Carter, Interim Executive Director, American Board for Certification in Orthotics and Prosthetics.
Related Project Research Web Site
Prosthetics and Orthotics Lab and Rehabilitation Engineering Research Program
Contact Information
For researchers and students
Northwestern University Prosthetics Research Laboratory
Rehabilitation Engineering Research Program
345 E. Superior St., Rm. 1441
Chicago, IL 60611-4496
312-238-6500
reiu@northwestern.edu
For members of the media
312-238-6044
