ISPO Australia’s Science and Research Committee is pleased to announce that the 2021 ANMS ISPO Research Grant has been awarded to Assoc Prof Joshua Byrnes from Griffith University for project “Deep dive into personal experience with bionic limbs: learning from listening, a patient journey analysis”. Assoc prof Byrnes is supported by Prof Laurent Frossard of Griffith Centre of Biomedical and Rehabilitation Engineering, Mr Matthew Ames of Bionics Queensland, Mr Ross Powrie of Custom Prosthetics & Orthotics and Mrs Debra Berg of Queensland Health.
The ANMS ISPO Research Grant is awarded every two years and provides up to AUD$30,000 for projects of research that will, in the long-term, contribute to improve quality of life of individuals living with neuromuscular or musculoskeletal pathologies who might benefit from prostheses or orthoses.
Innovations around bionic limbs have the potential to improve stability, function, mobility, and possibly, the quality of life of individuals suffering from limb loss. However, evidence of safety and efficacy of bionic treatments are generally collected at pre-specified points of time that are considered the most important. Consequently, there is a need to map the patient prosthetic care journey to retrace holistically their true personal experience across the course of bionic treatments.
Specifically, this preliminary study will aim at recording, analysing and reporting surgical, medical, rehabilitation and prosthetic care events for a small case series of individuals with limb loss, between the time of amputation and up to 12 years post fitting with bionics limbs.
For the first time, individual journeys of patients treated with bionics solutions will be mapped. The study aims to share insights that will empower other people living with limb absence. The knowledge gained will be shared to inform promoters of bionic solutions and reconfigure the delivery of prosthetic care in public and private healthcare organisations.
ANMS ISPO are proud to share this announcement with the broader membership and look forward to sharing results at project fruition.
