Disclosures: Steven M. Chow, MD: No financial relationships or conflicts of interest
Objective: To assess the prevalence of hospital-acquired injuries in patients associated with the temporary use of prefabricated off-the-shelf ankle-foot orthotics (AFOs) during an acute inpatient stroke rehabilitation stay.
Design: Retrospective cohort survey. Setting : Acute inpatient stroke rehabilitation unit. Participants : Eight physical and occupational therapists were given surveys that inquired about stroke patients they collectively treated with AFOs within the previous 30 days.
Interventions: Not applicable.
Main Outcome Measures: We gathered information regarding therapists’ experience using temporary prefabricated AFOs and the hospital-acquired injuries encountered from using the devices. Survey data included the total number of stroke patients treated, those that required the use of a temporary orthotic for training, those that required adjustments to the orthotic, and those that experienced pain, discomfort, or any skin breakdown from orthotic use.
Results: Survey data resulted as follows: 95 patients with stroke were treated by the therapists in total, 31 patients (33%) required the use of an orthotic for training during their rehabilitation stay, 18 out of 31 (58%) required their orthotic to be adjusted due to poor fit, 10 out 31 (32%) felt pain or discomfort during regular use of their orthotic, and 3 out of 31 (10%) patients suffered from skin breakdown due to temporary orthotic usage. Conclusions: Orthotic use is an integral part of the rehabilitation process and this survey revealed at least a third of patients in the acute inpatient stroke rehabilitation unit required an orthotic for training. Given the significant portion of patients that unfortunately had hospital-acquired injuries associated with prefabricated AFOs, these findings indicate there is evident opportunity for further quality improvement changes.
Level of Evidence: Level IV
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
Chow SM, Hafner RC, Rohrs J, Cao N. Prevalence of Hospital-Acquired Injuries with Temporary Prefabricated Ankle-Foot Orthotic Usage in an Acute Inpatient Stroke Rehabilitation Unit [abstract]. PM R. 2020; 12(S1)(suppl 1). https://pmrjabstracts.org/abstract/prevalence-of-hospital-acquired-injuries-with-temporary-prefabricated-ankle-foot-orthotic-usage-in-an-acute-inpatient-stroke-rehabilitation-unit/. Accessed May 14, 2025.« Back to AAPM&R Annual Assembly 2020
PM&R Meeting Abstracts - https://pmrjabstracts.org/abstract/prevalence-of-hospital-acquired-injuries-with-temporary-prefabricated-ankle-foot-orthotic-usage-in-an-acute-inpatient-stroke-rehabilitation-unit/