Quantifying quality
Ed Lemaire
Description
Collection
Title:
Quantifying quality
Creator:
Ed Lemaire
Date:
9/7/1999
Text:
Hello All,
After reading the postings on Amputee Union I thought I'd ask for
opinions on assessing the quality of a prosthesis. It would be great if
we could verify who is talented by a quantifiable method that is
acceptable to all parties (clients, practitioners, educators, researchers,
administrators, etc.). Unfortunately, measurement of quality has been a
problem - especially for a field where talent applies to numerous areas
(technical, inter-personal, diagnostic , etc.).
The most prevalent method for measuring quality is satisfaction
questionnaires (either client and peer). While this measure is useful (if
the client is not happy then there is likely some problem), the quality is
dependent on the client's previous experiences. As well, clinicians with
exceptional inter-personal skills may have satisfied clients that use
appropriate, but not exceptional, prostheses. In fact, without qualtitative
measures of quality we can never be sure that a prosthesis is the best
that it can be.
A big difference between the entire area of rehabilitation and other
medical areas is that we deal with cases where there is no obvious
outcome. We are not satisfied with someone just being able to walk, we
want them to have the highest functional level / with the most comfort /
and with the most security, that is possible. Identifying the highest
functional level is a common problem throughout the field of physical
rehabilitation.
So, my question to the group is How would you propose to measure
quality in prosthetics?
Edward Lemaire, PhD
Research Associate
The Rehabilitation Centre
(613) 737-7350 x5592
After reading the postings on Amputee Union I thought I'd ask for
opinions on assessing the quality of a prosthesis. It would be great if
we could verify who is talented by a quantifiable method that is
acceptable to all parties (clients, practitioners, educators, researchers,
administrators, etc.). Unfortunately, measurement of quality has been a
problem - especially for a field where talent applies to numerous areas
(technical, inter-personal, diagnostic , etc.).
The most prevalent method for measuring quality is satisfaction
questionnaires (either client and peer). While this measure is useful (if
the client is not happy then there is likely some problem), the quality is
dependent on the client's previous experiences. As well, clinicians with
exceptional inter-personal skills may have satisfied clients that use
appropriate, but not exceptional, prostheses. In fact, without qualtitative
measures of quality we can never be sure that a prosthesis is the best
that it can be.
A big difference between the entire area of rehabilitation and other
medical areas is that we deal with cases where there is no obvious
outcome. We are not satisfied with someone just being able to walk, we
want them to have the highest functional level / with the most comfort /
and with the most security, that is possible. Identifying the highest
functional level is a common problem throughout the field of physical
rehabilitation.
So, my question to the group is How would you propose to measure
quality in prosthetics?
Edward Lemaire, PhD
Research Associate
The Rehabilitation Centre
(613) 737-7350 x5592
Citation
Ed Lemaire, “Quantifying quality,” Digital Resource Foundation for Orthotics and Prosthetics, accessed November 1, 2024, https://library.drfop.org/items/show/213147.
