By Keira Lonergan and Joyce Tan
In May a seminar on a new technology to help scoliosis patients in developing countries will be presented at Don Bosco University in El Salvador. The scoliosis project was developed by students from the Illinois Institute of Technology in collaboration with the Northwestern University Prosthetic Orthotic Center (NUPOC) from a prototype designed by Don Bosco graduate Nicolas Rojas and Jose Miguel Gomez, MD.
The students of IPRO 319 are excited. The Illinois Institute of Technology's (IIT) first IPRO dedicated to learning through service has spent the last semester and a half delving into the world of scoliosis and its modalities of treatment to bring to the forefront a new technology to help treat patients with scoliosis.
"What is IPRO?" you might ask. The Illinois Institute of Technology Interprofessional Projects (IPRO)SM Program engages multidisciplinary teams of students in semester-long undergraduate projects based on real-world topics from sponsors that reflect the diversity of the workplace: corporations, entrepreneurial ventures, nonprofit organizations, and government agencies. The teams are led by a graduate student and guided by co-mentors from the faculty and the sponsor. Teams may include 5-15 students from all academic levels (sophomore through graduate school), and across IIT's professional programs (engineering, science, business, law, psychology, design, and architecture). Integration of both vertical (bridging academic levels) and horizontal (bridging professional programs) dimensions within a project team experience is distinctive in higher education today-stimulating student interaction across the boundaries of individual disciplines and experiences.
Low Cost, Low-Tech System
In September of 2002, 30 IPRO projects were initiated. The 2002 award for Best IPRO Project was given to a team of students on a mission to help the world's scoliosis population. Their goal is to teach about the benefits and use of this technology by co-hosting a seminar from May 19-23, 2003 for orthotists and other medical practitioners at Don Bosco University in Soyapango, El Salvador.
In preparation for this event, the team has been working diligently on developing user-friendly instructions and presentations designed to efficiently teach others how to use their new "low -cost, low-tech" system-known among the students as "The Kit."
In order to optimize the system, a series of trial seminars began on March 8, when three orthotic students from the Northwestern University Prosthetic Orthotic Center (NUPOC) attended a four-hour Saturday session to critique the design, applications, and benefits of "The Kit." NUPOC students Daniel Rinella, Dean Woolcock, and Chong Shrout had shown a strong interest in the project when Dr. Kevin Meade, IPRO 319's advisor, mentioned the project while teaching as a guest lecturer at Northwestern for NUPOC's spine curriculum. NUPOC and IIT student teams worked together in solving scoliosis case studies, utilizing the kit and its unique procedures.
According to the students, "The Kit" is being constructed to be used globally as an agent of standardization in the orthotics field. The original prototype was developed by Nicolas Rojas, a Don Bosco University orthotics and prosthetics school graduate, and Dr. Jose Miguel Gomez, a physician and certified orthotist from Bogota, Colombia, who identified a need for a system.
"The Kit"-What It Does
"The Kit" uses a simple set of adjustable pads and straps to maintain static or translatory forces on the torso. It also employs a unique method of efficient force application and measurement, using principles taught by Professor Meade in the engineering program at IIT.
Untreated, scoliosis can often lead to severe deformity and other potential complications. Surgery is often required in more severe cases. However, corrective surgery for scoliosis can be risky and painful. Availability and access to surgery in many countries can be challenging and cost-prohibitive. Bracing presents as an effective and, at times, the only alternative treatment to halt the progression of the curvature and prevent surgery for scoliosis. The measurement process for a brace for a patient is often subjective and variable in technique. Medical professionals can have differing methods and standards in taking measurements for a scoliosis brace. The purpose of this IPRO project is to address this lack of standardization.
Currently, students are making final preparations in preparing for their course presentation and raising funds to help finance their trip to Don Bosco University in El Salvador.
To learn more about this IPRO project, contact Kevin Meade, PhD, at meade@iit.edu.
