Leveraging Digital Technology to Overcome Barriers in the Prosthetic and Orthotic Industry: Evaluation of its Applicability and Use During the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Trevor Binedell, Karupppasamy Subburaj, Yoko Wong and 1 others
PMID 33006946WHAT IT FOUND
Most prosthetists and orthotists surveyed still use plaster casting, not digital scanning.
While clinicians see virtual care as useful for remote patients, they lack the skills and equipment, and patients often prefer face-to-face visits to maintain trust and physical contact.
Key findings
01Only 44% of prosthetists and orthotists used digital technology, with cost and lack of training cited as the main barriers.
02Among lower limb amputees, 85% had their prostheses measured using plaster, and none used scanning.
03Most amputees preferred clinic visits over virtual care, citing access to care as not being an issue for them.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they found
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The sample was heavily skewed towards Singapore, with 92% of amputees and 18.6% of P&Os from this country, limiting generalizability to other regions. Only 13 amputees responded, making the patient perspective very small. The survey was online, which excludes those without internet access or digital literacy, potentially biasing results toward more tech-savvy clinicians. Self-reported attitudes and usage may not reflect actual clinical practice or outcomes.
Declared interests
The survey was developed by the authors in conjunction with ProsFit Technologies, Bulgaria. No other conflicts of interest were declared.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume digital scanning or virtual care is the standard of practice for prosthetics and orthotics. The data shows plaster casting remains dominant, and clinicians doubt digital devices fit better. Virtual care is seen as a supplement for triage, not a replacement for physical assessment.