VA Announces O&P Clinician Researcher Training
A recent issue of a Veterans Administration publication, "Research Currents", announced plans for the Rehabilitation Research and Development Service to convene a blue ribbon panel to write evidence-based standards of care for veterans with limb disease and pending limb loss. According to the VA, a related initiative will be "to train O&P professionals as clinician researchers, giving them the power to direct clinical practice". The goal is to foster collaborations that stimulate ideas and promote evaluations and integration of recent technical advances.
In recent decades, the VA RR&D Service has been a strong supporter of P&O research, generally with physician or engineer investigators. Teaching CPOs the skills needed to collaborate successfully in clinically oriented research could be an important step forward in the maturation of our profession. Additional information is posted online at http://www.va.gov/resdev/prt/va_research_currents_june_03.pdf.