Teaching orthotic design and fabrication content in occupational therapy curricula: Faculty perspectives

Developing Self-Efficacy in Doctoral Students for Treating Patients with Hand Therapy

“…Education for hand therapy is initially introduced to students in entry level PT and OT graduate programs (Short et al, 2018). Barriers of integrating hand content in an entry level PT program include: time and prioritization, lack of expertise in hand therapy to teach students, and perception of professional scope of practice (Schofield & Schwartz, 2020). Due to the shortage of PT practitioners in hand therapy, there is a gap in both practice and literature regarding the education of hand therapy for DPT students (Erickson et al, 2017;Short et al, 2018).…”

“…In addition, faculty members who lack the specialized skills to educate students on orthotics can impact student learning outcomes and contributes to the shortage of physical therapist performing hand therapy (Schofield & Schwartz, 2020). Specialty areas, such as hand content and upper extremity orthotics should be included in a DPT curriculum because it is within the PT scope of practice.…”

Does thermoplastics' thickness influence joint stabilization and movement coordination? An inferential study of wrist orthoses

“…Even though the selected device can be considered one of the most commonly used patterns for custom-made wrist orthotics, the authors could not find data regarding its use or prescription compared with other wrist orthoses. 1,8,10 Therefore, in addition to exploring the influence of different orthotic designs, future studies should also investigate the differences in other material properties on the orthotics' effect on the upper limb movement.…”

“…Considered both science and art, the design and fabrication of orthotics is a professional practice steeped in biomechanics and with an in-depth knowledge of a client's needs. 1,2…”

“…Considered both science and art, the design and fabrication of orthotics is a professional practice steeped in biomechanics and with an indepth knowledge of a client's needs. 1,2 From a single-joint, static device to a dynamic, multiarticular device, custom-made orthotics must be designed to meet clinical and personal goals, allowing the healing or protection of anatomical structures while also enabling the best possible performance of relevant occupations. 2,3 Since the early 1970s, the advent of low-temperature thermoplastic materials has made orthotic interventions more convenient and feasible for many therapeutic settings.…”