AOTA

Presenters:

Elizabeth Fain, EdD OTR/L

Program Director of Occupational Therapy and Assistant Dean of Division of Applied Health Sciences at Pfeiffer University

Jeff Powell, MS

Founder and President of The Helping Hand Project and Doctor of Medicine student at The Wake Forest School of Medicine

Earn .1 AOTA CEU (1.25 NBCOT PDU/1 contact hour)

Description:

Arthritis and rheumatic conditions are well known to occupational therapy practitioners as disease processes that can cause pain, limit movement, create weakness and lead to a host of systemic changes to the body.  Ultimately, these processes can greatly impact the ability of the affected person to perform and participate in their desired occupations.

The provision of adaptive equipment has been used as a standard and highly effective treatment intervention by occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants as a means of reducing the impact of limitations caused by arthritis and to enable occupational engagement. Unfortunately, AE is not always available to those in need.  Equipment expense and finding the perfect tool for the job can impact the ability of clients from getting the AE that would be most beneficial.

3-D printing offers the opportunity for OT practitioners to create tools that are cost effective and that can be personalized the needs of the individual client.

This course offers an overview of arthritis and the impacts it has on occupations as well an overview of 3-D printing process from beginning to end.

Learning Objectives:

Following this course, the learner will be able to:

Identify various forms of arthritis

Identify energy conservation principles and work simplification techniques that are applicable for clients with arthritis.

Identify application for 3D printed adaptive equipment.

Identify resources for existing 3D printed adaptive devices.

Describe the basics for designing a 3D printed adaptive device applicable for individuals with arthritis.