Screwdriver: Hand tool that functions as a stabilizer

Needs Assessment:

My competence project is a product, a handbook that provides occupational therapists the resources to improve their orthotic fabrication skills. At my hand therapy clinic, one of the roles of a senior occupational therapist is to spend one day a week at the surgeon's office in the hospital's main campus to fabricate orthoses. The skills required to fabricate these orthoses is to posses the knowledge of the materials, the type of orthosis required, and how to fabricate the pattern. In addition, the therapist is required to have the finesse to fabricate orthoses in a busy hospital setting. Obtaining a Certification of Hand Therapy, (CHT) is a prerequisite to fabricate orthoses for our surgeons, therefore passing the exam was essential towards creating this resource. 

Our hand therapy clinic does not currently have a competence or standardization to ensure each therapist has the required skill set to fabricate orthoses at our surgeons office. Many other renowned hand clinics have a formal education course and training. Therefore, I saw a need for our clinic to educate our staff before they are required to work in a fast paced, demanding environment. 

In addition, we collect data on the number of orthoses fabricated for our surgeons and how many of those return for modifications or adjustments due to poor fit or discomfort. That data from 2022 is documented below, with an average of 101 new orthoses fabricated each month with an average of 10% that return for adjustments. Due to the high number of orthoses fabricated per month, there should be further education before therapists are placed into this setting.