Survey of health professionals: analysis begins.

Our survey of health professionals is now closed and we are starting on the analysis of the data collected in the online questionnaire. This will involve a relatively straightforward descriptions of the data collected for presentation in the final report. For example, we will look at how many members of the different health professions filled in our questionnaire; how many of them see patients with neuromuscular diseases such as polio; what the different ways of working, are such as working in stand-alone clinics or as part of a multidisciplinary facility. This may sound a bit basic, but currently this information is unknown. We hope to provide a much better picture of what and how orthotic services are delivered in the UK. 

Now we have closed the survey so we can download all the responses collected into a spreadsheet. Each response has a unique identifier so responses to each question by each individual can be tracked without being able to identify the person themselves. We will then ‘code’ the responses so the statistical package can perform the analysis. This simply means all the answer choices have a number assigned to them. For example, the answers to the question “What is your gender?” would be coded as 1 for male and 2 for female. We will use simple statistics such as means (the average value) and modes (the more frequent value); and frequency tables and cross-tabulations to present our results in the final report. For the free text responses we will be using qualitative analysis techniques to identify all the issues raised and will present these findings in a descriptive narrative.

Many thanks again to all our respondents, your time is much appreciated and will form an important part of the findings of our project.

Blogger: Joanne O’Connor

Survey of healthcare professionals: one week left!

Our survey of healthcare professionals (HCPs) who are involved in providing orthotic devices for knee instability in people with neuromuscular disease or central nervous system conditions is well underway. The aim of the survey is to identify the types of orthotic devices currently being used by the NHS in the management of instability of the knee related to neuromuscular and CNS conditions. We also want to find out about patient pathways after referral for an orthotic device and what healthcare professionals think are important outcomes for patients.

The link to the online survey has been sent out through three professional organisations, (ACPIN, BAPO and BSRM) and many thanks to all those who have already responded. The survey will be closed on Monday 2^nd February so health professionals working in this area still have time to contribute to this under researched area. For an invitation to take part, or you have any other queries please get in touch with us at kneeorthotics@gmail.com

Blogger: Joanne O’Connor

Orthotics provision: Survey of healthcare professionals launched

We have now opened our survey of healthcare professionals (HCPs) who are involved in providing orthotic devices for knee instability in people with neuromuscular disease or central nervous system conditions. The link to the online survey is being sent out through three professional organisations:

• Association of Chartered Physiotherapists Interested in Neurology (ACPIN)
• British Association of Prosthetists and Orthotists (BAPO)
• British Society for Rehabilitation Medicine (BSRM)

If you are a health professional working in this area and have not received an invitiation to take part, or you have any other queries please get in touch with us at kneeorthotics@gmail.com

Blogger: Catriona McDaid

Orthotics services: who is delivering what?

One of the aims of our research is to identify the types of orthotic devices currently being used by the NHS in the management of instability of the knee related to neuromuscular and CNS conditions. We also want to find the answers to other questions such as what are the pathways that patients have to follow once they are referred for an orthotic device. By finding out what resources are required to assess and fit patients with a device, we should then be able to estimate the costs for providing services. We are also interested in what healthcare professionals think are important outcomes for patients and how those outcomes should be measured. This will complement the information we are gathering from patients.

To collect the information we need, we are carrying out a survey of orthotists, physiotherapists and rehabilitation medicine clinicians who are involved in the provision of orthotic devices for patients with knee instability. The content of the questionnaire has been informed by discussions with healthcare professionals in a focus group, one-to-one interviews and discussions with our project Steering Group, which includes members of the different professional groups involved in provision of orthotic devices.

Our problem is that there is so little research available on this topic that we need to ask for a lot of information to address these really important questions. We expect that the survey will take 20-30 minutes to complete which is longer than we would like, but we know that many health professionals working in this area are as keen as we are to address this knowledge gap.

The findings from the survey will be made widely available through healthcare professional networks, patient groups and research journals, as well as forming part of the formal report to our funders, the NIHR HTA programme.

Blogger: Catriona McDaid

AHPs: essential but under valued?

There are over 64,000 allied health professionals (AHPs) in the NHS from a range of different disciplines. AHPs play vital roles within a range of care teams, in hospitals and the community: often working with older people with more complex conditions. They are increasingly expanding their skills to include prescribing and consultant practitioner status, with patients able to self-refer.

QualityWatch, an independent scruitineer of quality in health and social care, has stated that, “despite the size and importance of the AHP workforce, AHPs are rarely the subject of major policy debates and there is a concern that their contribution to care is often hidden, overlooked or potentially undervalued.”  In their report Focus on: Allied Health professionals. Can we measure quality of care?, the authors say this is primarily because of a lack of consistent data nationally on the work undertaken by AHPs.

The report highlights the need to have systems in place that can capture information on all aspects of the quality of AHP care in all settings. The authors also identify the need for continued development of AHP research. The OKIS team are pleased to be helping progress this agenda for physiotherapists, prosthetists and orthotists involved with prescribing and fitting orthotic devices for knee instability. By identifying current pathways of care and finding/understanding where and why variation exists it should be possible to ensure the best use is made of AHP skills for the benefit of patients.