INNOVATION FOR INDEPENDENCE
ISSUE 120 APRIL/MAY 2018 £6.95
Team wins £900k for new artificial limbs project RESEARCHERS at the University of Southampton have won more than £900,000 in funding for a project to improve access to artificial limbs in lower and middle income countries. The three-year project will see two studies carried out in Cambodia, southeast Asia, with the aim of developing digital tools to improve access to prosthetic and orthotic services, train clinicians and ensure funding is spent more efficiently. About 100 million people worldwide need prosthetics (artificial limbs) or orthotic devices (braces and splints), but an estimated 80 to 90 per cent of those do not have access to P&O services because of a shortage of personnel, service units and health rehabilitation infrastructures. The higher incidence of traumatic amputations in LMICs (caused by accidents, conflict and landmines) means people with P&O needs are typically younger, with more physically active years ahead of them, than users in more economically developed countries, for whom most prosthetics technology has been developed. The project is one of 15 to receive a total of £16m in funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and the National Institute for Health Research through the Global Challenges Research Fund, a £1.5billion government fund to support technology that
addresses challenges faced by LMICs. University of Southampton mechanical engineer Dr Alex Dickinson, who is leading the project, said: “I’m delighted that we have won this vital backing. In LMICs there are still many more patients than the existing number of clinicians can possibly cope with, and there is an ever-growing population of people with P&O requirements. “In south-east Asian LMICs, it is estimated that three times the current number of clinicians is required to cater for the amputee population.” The project is a result of the Institute for Life Sciences’ FortisNet initiative, which brings together experts from different disciplines across the University. Dr Dickinson and his colleagues have spent three years building the project and the partnerships which will help it to deliver real-world impact. They will investigate: n Digital measurement tools to assess a user’s residual limb anatomy, biomechanics of gait, typical daily prosthetic limb use, and health status. n The architecture for a portable digital patient case note system: a robust and secure IT network for travelling prosthetists to visit provincial areas to provide evidence-based treatment for those in remote communities who cannot afford to travel.
One of Scotland’s best young athletes picked up her new wheelchair from Bromakin Wheelchairs in Loughborough. 22-year-old Samantha Kinghorn, also known as Sammi, from the Borders region of Scotland, has soared to the top of the para-sports world in recent years. Her stunning performances at the World Para Athletics Championships in 2017 resulted in her winning gold medals for both the 100m and 200m events. Along with the medals and world records, Sammi has been recognised with numerous honours including being the first para athlete to be crowned Scottish Sports Personality of the Year. Full story on page 4