program is staffed by an interdisciplinary team of professionals, including neurologists, prosthetists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, and biomedical engineers. During the past 5 years, the program has provided comprehensive prosthesis training to 7 individuals, while also recruiting more than 30 subjects to participate in various research protocols. An Internet-based data repository system also has been developed as a means of pooling information related to successful prosthetic arm use. This report will summarize the general operations of the program, provide an overview of the clinical tools used to describe performance, and discuss how similar efforts can be used to address the functional needs of individuals living with other rare medical conditions. Setting: Outpatient setting of an acute rehabilitation hospital. Results: Instruments used to measure functional performance include Action Research Arm Test, Jebsen Taylor Hand Functioning Test, and the Box and Block Test of Manual Dexterity. Summary data will be presented that illustrates the sensitivity of measures to detect change. Discussion: Improvements in functional performance, as made evident by those individuals who received training, illustrate the need for specialized programs for rare conditions that can incorporate research methodologies with sound clinical practice. Conclusions: The program continues to generate new research questions, while simultaneously developing its clinical services.
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