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From the Editor: Academy/ACPOC Meeting
By Miki Fairley  O&P and allied rehab professionals are looking
forward to the first joint meeting of the American Academy of
Orthotists & Prosthetists and the Association of Childrens
Prosthetic-Orthotic Clinics (ACPOC) this month (March 16-19) in
Orlando, Florida.
This multidisciplinary meeting for O&P is expected to
maximize participants learning potential, as well as expose other
members of the rehab team: orthopedic surgeons, other physicians,
nurses, and physical and occupational therapists. One registration
fee opens all the doors (the special clinical techniques sessions,
which were an immediate sellout in 2004, require an additional $75
registration fee).
Robin Crandall, MD, Hugh Watts, MD, Ivan Krajbich, MD, and
Robert Lipschutz, CP, will discuss diagnostic and treatment options
for PFFD patients. Randal R. Betz, MD, chief of staff of Shriners
Hospitals-Philadelphia, will discuss electrical stimulation and
bracing issues. Implications of surgical, orthotic, and physical
therapy options using outcome-oriented treatment plans will be the
subject of another session.
A new Academy fellow certificate program, "Orthotic Management
of the CVA Stroke Patient," debuts this year, and a panel on
licensure will stimulate attendees thinking on this vital subject
for O&P.
Also planned are two days of high-quality technical education on
"Maximizing Patient Safety: Materials Science in P&O Design,"
with noted presenters John Michael, MS, CPO, FAAOP, and renowned
Australian rehabilitation engineer Bill Contoyannis. And registered
mastectomy fitters can earn all of the PCE credits for their
five-year certification at the events fitter program.
Survive and Thrive
In current difficult times for O&P, several business owners
share how they are not only surviving but thriving. Find out how
they do it in the feature article, "Think
Smart in Tough Times."
Building Patient Trust
A high level of technical skills, as important as it is, is not
enough alone to ensure patient trust and compliance. In the
article, "The Key to Creating Patient Trust," Toni
Gitles and Harriet Cavanah Dart, CPed, discuss how you--and your
staff--can acquire "people skills" that smooth your
practitioner-patient relationships.
Neuroprosthetics: Next Generation?
Shortly after finishing his orthotic and prosthetic residency,
Philip Muccio, CPO, became fascinated with neuroprosthetics. These
electrical stimulation technologies can improve and help restore
function and reduce pain, thus aiding the rehabilitation process.
Muccios research led him into developing a suit and other
interfaces; his technology aided actor Christopher Reeve. To read
more about this technology, turn to the article "Neuroprosthetics: The Next Generation of Orthotic
and Prosthetic Services." See you at the Academy/ACPOC meeting!
Please stop by and visit The O&P EDGE team at Booth
No. 22A. 
Table Of Contents - March 2005
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