Page 7 - REV T-I JOURNAL INTERIOR ISSUU 18 2-3

Technology and Innovation, Vol. 18, pp. 83-84, 2016 ISSN 1949-8241 • E-ISSN 1949-825X
Printed in the USA. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.21300/18.2-3.2016.83
Copyright © 2016 National Academy of Inventors. www.technologyandinnovation.org

OUTCOMES AND ADVANCES IN ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGIES
FOR REHABILITATION: SPECIAL TOPIC EDITION OVERVIEW

M. Jason Highsmith 1-3

1 School of Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Sciences, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA
2 Extremity Trauma & Amputation Center of Excellence (EACE), U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Tampa, FL, USA
3 319 Minimal Care Detachment, U.S. Army Reserves, Pinellas Park, FL, USA
th

Once again, the National Academy of Inventors (www.academyofinventors.org), a nonprofit organization
recognizing and encouraging creativity and invention, is pleased to present scientific findings in the areas of
prosthetics, orthotics, and assistive technologies from researchers representing the University of South Florida’s
(USF) School of Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Sciences (SPTRS), the Extremity Trauma & Amputation
Center of Excellence (EACE), and numerous colleagues and collaborators in the U.S. and abroad. The NAI
continues to grow its reach with new national and international academic and institutional partnerships.
This special topic edition of Technology and Innovation, Journal of the National Academy of Inventors will
predominantly feature prosthetic and amputee rehabilitation related topics. It also includes other assistive
technology, therapeutic, and surgical topics with high clinical relevance from clinician scientists. This edition
is timely in the wake of recent significant challenges with health care reimbursement. Specifically, third-party
payors of health care services, citing limited quality and quantity of evidence regarding interventions pro-
vided by rehabilitation clinicians who care for patients with limb loss who use prostheses, have attempted to
restructure reimbursement practices and policies. As a result, professional organizations within the prosthetic
and orthotic professions, including the American Academy of Orthotists and Prosthetists and the American
Orthotic & Prosthetic Association among others, formulated a multi-pronged response to defend the merit of
the interventions provided by these professionals. Domains represented in the responses from these organiza-
tions included advocacy and research. Some of the products of these efforts are contained within this edition.
Specific study designs contained in this issue represent a considerable portion of the evidence pyramid,
including systematic reviews, clinical research, case reports, outcomes research, and technical notes. From a
funding perspective, numerous sponsors deserve acknowledgment for facilitating production of this research
and the associated knowledge products. For instance, the USF SPTRS, the state of Florida, industry sponsors,
professional organizations, and the National Institutes of Health, by way of a Scholars in Patient Oriented
Research (SPOR) grant, were among the research sponsors.
Highlights from a content perspective include an economic analysis of transtibial interventions and system-
atic reviews on dermatologic issues, gait training, and walking function in persons with lower limb amputation.
Additionally, several intervention pieces evaluate comparative efficacy of prosthetic socket and knee interven-

_____________________
Accepted July 1, 2016.
Address correspondence to M. Jason Highsmith, Extremity Trauma & Amputation Center of Excellence (EACE), 8900 Grand Oak Circle (151R), Tampa, FL
33637-1022, USA. Tel: +1 (813) 558-3936; Fax: +1 (813) 558-3990; E-mail: michael.highsmith@va.gov

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