Vol.10, No.1

December 2004

STATE-OF-THE-SCIENCE CONFERENCES REPLACE CSOPs

Earlier this year, a select Academy committee met with experts from the National Institutes of Health to formalize the process of what were known as "Clinical Standards of Practice (CSOP)consensus conferences." After analyzing the purpose of these conferences, the group decided it will now follow a protocol for State-of-the-Science Conferences (SSC). One of the more substantive changes to the structure is the development of a well-conceived series of key questions. Ordinarily, 4-6 questions are posed, including questions on the efficacy, risks, and clinical applications, plus a final one on directions for future research. These questions determine the scope and substance of the conference

ACADEMY TO HOLD SUMMER MEETING WITH CANADIAN ORGANIZATION

Close on the heels of co-locating the Academy’s Annual Meeting with ACPOC (Association of Children’s Prosthetic-Orthotic Clinics), a summer meeting is being scheduled with the Canadian Association of Prosthetists and Orthotists (CAPO) for mid-June. A joint committee has been developing the program and content for the two-day meeting. Proposals for meeting sites are still under consideration. Details will soon appear on this website.

NCOPE & ACADEMY SELECT DATE OF EDUCATION SUMMIT

One of the new projects under the second grant for Project Quantum Leap is an O&P Education Summit: Forecasting the Future, led by NCOPE. The April 8-9 conference at the Hotel Monteleone in New Orleans will include about two dozen education and O&P experts who will critically assess the future of clinical practice and formal education. NCOPE is developing the meeting format and objectives to determine where the O&P profession wants to go in the delivery of quality care and what education model would best get the profession to where it needs to be in the future.

GETTING THE WORD OUT TO HIGH SCHOOL COUNSELORS

"Occupational Briefs" is one of the most widely distributed publications for high school and career counselors. The Briefs, by Chronicle Guidance Publications, are a series of 650 standardized brochures which summarize a profession in four pages. The briefs are revised every four years. Brief #469: Prosthetists and Orthotists first published in 1973, was just revised by the Academy as part of Project Quantum Leap’s awareness activities.

17 JPO QUIZZES OFFER LOW-COST, YEAR-END PCE CREDITS

Members that need an affordable way to obtain a few more PCE credits to maintain their ABC certification are flocking to the Academy website in droves to complete JPO quizzes worth 2 PCE credits each. ABC reminds practitioners that quizzes from the last three years are still eligible for credit and no more than 75 percent of the minimum recertification requirements may be obtained from the quizzes. Normal processing time for quizzes is 2-4 weeks, however Academy staff has committed to process all quizzes received by Dec. 29 and report the results to ABC in time for recertification this year.

ANNUAL MEETING CO-LOCATED WITH ACPOC INCLUDES JOINT SESSIONS

Two joint sessions will be offered during the Annual Meeting: Cerebral Palsy Spasticity –interdisciplinary strategies for the management of spasticity in children with cerebral palsy. Proximal Femoral Focal Deficiency – Some of the most challenging congenital limb deficiencies are the various forms of proximal femoral focal deficiency (PFFD). Two doctors and a prosthetist will discuss diagnostic and treatment options, surgical and prosthetic options, complications and satisfactory outcomes with respect to the multiple types of PFFD.

ACADEMY TO COLLABORATE WITH ISPO

An Academy representative will be attending the Jan. 14-15 ISPO Conference on Disabilities in Orlando, which focuses on humanitarian efforts and opportunities. Some of the conference content will be considered for possible inclusion in the Academy’s Online Learning Center.