Instructional Concurrent Session 4

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in rehabilitation has the potential to greatly impact the field of hand therapy. In this presentation, we will explore the pros and cons of AI in rehab, including personalized treatment plans, remote monitoring, and efficiently completing documentation. We will also discuss the potential ethical and practical concerns associated with AI in hand therapy, review current AI applications and explore future directions of AI in rehabilitation.

Level: Entry 

This session will spotlight several of the Clinical Practice Posters presented at this year's Annual Meeting. Rapid-fire presentations of interesting cases and novel treatment or educational approaches will be followed by time for discussion and audience questions. Come to learn, innovate, and collaborate.

1. Preparing the Next Generation of Hand Therapists: Innovating Clinical Education Through a Community-Based Pro Bono Clinic
Authors: Nicole Bickhart, OT, CHT | Jessica Asiello, OTD, OTR/L

2. Regaining Strength: A Patient’s Journey Back to Elbow Flexion After Brachial Plexus Injury
Authors: Valerie Aziegbe, OTR/L, CHT

3. Unique Considerations when Treating Upper Extremity Trauma in the Pediatric Population
Authors: Michelle Hagenbaugh, MS, OTR/L, CHT

4. Treatment of Zone III Extensor Tendon Injuries Using a Single Relative Motion with Dorsal Hood Orthosis and a Modified Short Arc Motion Protocol
Authors: Kathrine Manolopoulos, OTR/L, CHT | Clyde Johnson, PT, CHT | Megan Swanson, MOT, OTR/L, CHT

Level: Entry 

Esteemed leaders in our profession are breaking barriers in exciting careers outside of traditional hand and upper extremity rehabilitation. This panel of therapist trailblazers will share the stage to discuss their professional contributions as a Hospital Healthcare Executive, Colonel in the U.S. Air Force, College President and Specialist in the NBA. They will describe defining moments influencing their career path that will undoubtedly resonate with therapists in the attendance. They will provide an overview of the professional impact in their unparalleled leadership positions. They will also discuss their vision for the future and how other therapists can succeed in extraordinary arenas. What they have in common is that they all started their careers in hand and upper extremity therapy as Certified Hand Therapists. But what they have been able to accomplish and continue to contribute in their unique professional journey is visionary, innovative, impactful and relevant to our growing practice as clinicians, educators and researchers. The audience will be inspired by their storied perspectives, encouraged by the limitless possibilities, and feel more confident that they too can lead our profession into further barrier-breaking opportunities.

Level: Intermediate

Self-management programs are a key tenet in health promotion programing within public health realms for chronic diseases. Self-management may not be a strategy that we always think we are engaged in as hand and upper extremity therapists but in all actuality may be enacting. This session will outline evidence informed constructs of self-management and promotion of self-efficacy with hand arthritis. We will learn about establishing a patient’s self-efficacy, including technologies and creative treatment interventions that can support this. We will focus on why a patient’s self-efficacy is important for adherence and how to measure self-efficacy. This will be tied to theoretical frameworks of health behaviors that can help to improve the structure of health promotion programs, thus linking the world of hand and upper extremity therapy to public health initiatives for chronic disease. Patient’s voices will be highlighted in this via recorded videos of actual patient experiences in arthritis self-management. We will also use technology to engage the audience in an interactive session to promote learning.

Level: Entry