ABSTRACT
The State of the Science Symposium is held multiple times per year to enhance the knowledge and skills of individuals working in the fields such as rehabilitation medicine, engineering, and public health. The Symposium has continually focused on the health and well-being of active-duty military members, reserve/guard components, veterans, and their families. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the social distancing protocols adopted to combat viral spread, the State of the Science Symposium was moved to an online platform to minimize risk. In December 2020, the symposium invited professionals to discuss necessary changes in their fields of practice in light of the pandemic protocols, and how telehealth has expanded to encompass multiple disciplines. It is concluded that the adoption of telemedicine as a standard of care wherever appropriate will benefit all parties involved, even after restrictions on gatherings and interpersonal contact are eased.
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic placed tremendous strain on people, medical supply chains, and healthcare systems. The US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) had to take extraordinary efforts to protect the veterans that it serves. The goal of this project was to rapidly deploy safe and effective nasopharyngeal (NP) test swabs to enable expanded testing for COVID-19 with a US veteran population. This manuscript describes the technical steps to achieving this goal. VA had internal additive manufacturing resources for many of the common processes and materials. Once the process and material were selected, the design of the NP swab geometry for effectiveness, strength, and maximum throughput commenced. A NP swab with tip geometry that resembles thin, rounded, stacked disks was selected for the design after the clinical members of the team reviewed several iterations of prototypes. Following the ASTM D790 test, the NP swabs were examined using a 10-power digital microscope to check for micro-fractures and surface finish. Once the NP swabs passed the initial quality assurance process, the NP swabs required cleaning, sterilization, and packaging. Subsequently, each NP swab package was labeled for identification. Approximately 30,000 NP swabs were produced with around 18,000 of them made available for immediate deployment. The effort showed that additive manufacturing along with good professional practice by engineers and healthcare professionals could rapidly respond to a shortage of NP swabs. Internal additive manufacturing and other digital manufacturing technologies should be part of an overall strategy to increase the robustness of healthcare delivery in emergency situations.
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically impacted delivery of outpatient care. Many people with spina bifida (SB) in the U.S. receive outpatient healthcare in a multidisciplinary setting. In accordance with state healthcare mandates, outpatient multidisciplinary clinic visits were deferred, postponed, or canceled, while telemedicine systems were implemented. A survey was created and distributed to all known SB clinics in the U.S. We explored the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the delivery of outpatient care for the SB population and the use of telemedicine in response. Novel uses of telehealth, benefits of use, suggestions for overcoming barriers, and future opportunities are identified and discussed.