Development and Evaluation of a Customized Wrist-Hand Orthosis using 3D Technology for a Child with Cerebral Palsy - A Case Study.

Cerebral Palsy (CP) is a disability that affects more than 100 million children. More than 60% of these children have significant difficulties within their hand abilities, affected by involuntary movements and spasticity. So, to overcome this issue, orthoses are being employed as therapeutic intervention and can allow children with CP to have an opportunity to better use their hands. Three-dimensional (3D) technologies provide the generation of high-quality orthopedic products. Although, there are limited studies related to the evaluation of such assistive devices, especially for children. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to design, develop and evaluate a customized wrist-hand orthosis using 3D technologies for a child with CP. So, it was used a high-level 3D scanning to acquire the wrist-hand anatomy, a free software for 3D modelling and a low-cost 3D printer for manufacturing the orthosis. The Jebsen-Taylor Test of Hand Function (JTTHF) was used to evaluate unilateral hand abilities. We noticed improvements while wearing the orthosis at the affected hand, in the following subtests: writing (13 s), lifting small objects (0.9 s) and simulated feeding (69.3 s). The customized orthosis was able not only to improve some functional hand skills, but also to provide comfort, better fitting and with an appealing aesthetic design.

Proposal of custom made wrist orthoses based on 3D modelling and 3D printing.

Accessibility to three-dimensional (3D) technologies, such as 3D scanning systems and additive manufacturing (like 3D printers), allows a variety of 3D applications. For medical applications in particular, these modalities are gaining a lot of attention enabling several opportunities for healthcare applications. The literature brings several cases applying both technologies, but none of them focus on the spreading of how this technology could benefit the health segment. This paper proposes a new methodology, which employs both 3D modelling and 3D printing for building orthoses, which could better fit the demands of different patients. Additionally, there is an opportunity for sharing expertise, as it represents a trendy in terms of the maker-movement. Therefore, as a result of the proposed approach, we present a case study based on a volunteer who needs an immobilization orthosis, which was built for exemplification of the whole process. This proposal also employs freely available 3D models and software, having a strong social impact. As a result, it enables the implementation and effective usability for a variety of built to fit solutions, hitching useful and smarter technologies for the healthcare sector.

Fórum catarinense das Escolas de Enfermagem (1991-2011) / Catarinense forum of nursing schools (1991-2011)

Objetivo de conhecer a trajetória do Fórum Catarinense das Escolas de Enfermagem na formação profissional enfermagem em Santa Catarina. Pesquisa qualitativa, revisão bibliográfica. Utilizou-se como fonte de dados, o acervo de documentos da Associação Brasileira de Enfermagem - Seção Santa Catarina, no recorte temporal de 1991 a 2011. A coleta de dados ocorreu entre novembro e dezembro de 2011, em informes e documentos formais da instituição. O método para organização dos dados, utiliza-se a Análise de Conteúdo. Emergiram duas categorias:Temáticas do Fórum Catarinense das Escolas de Enfermagem e Contribuições do Fórum Catarinense das Escolas de Enfermagem na formação profissional. Os resultados apresentam a preocupação em desenvolver, temas que busquem instrumentalizar as escolas de formação e a formação de parcerias.Conclui-se que houve influência do Fórum na formação da enfermagem catarinense, busca-se desenvolver temas da assistência, inovações tecnológicas e políticas de saúde.