A Survey of Foot Orthoses Prescription Habits Amongst Podiatrists in the UK, Australia and New Zealand

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aut.relation.journalJournal of Foot and Ankle Researchen_NZ
aut.researcherRome, Keith
dc.contributor.authorChapman, Len_NZ
dc.contributor.authorRedmond, Aen_NZ
dc.contributor.authorLandorf, Ken_NZ
dc.contributor.authorRome, Ken_NZ
dc.contributor.authorKeenan, A-Men_NZ
dc.contributor.authorWaxman, Ren_NZ
dc.contributor.authorAlcacer-Pitarch, Ben_NZ
dc.contributor.authorSiddle, Hen_NZ
dc.contributor.authorBackhouse, Men_NZ
dc.date.accessioned2018-11-26T22:05:20Z
dc.date.available2018-11-26T22:05:20Z
dc.date.copyright2018-11-27en_NZ
dc.date.issued2018-11-27en_NZ
dc.description.abstractBackground Foot orthoses are frequently used but little is known about which types are used in contemporary practice. This study aimed to explore the types of foot orthoses currently used by podiatrists and the prescription variations in a range of conditions. Methods A web-based, cross-sectional survey was distributed through professional bodies in the United Kingdom (UK), Australia, and New Zealand. Questions focussed on foot orthosis prescription habits in relation to 26 conditions affecting the back and lower limb. Results Two hundred and sixty-four podiatrists practising in 19 different countries completed the survey; the majority practised in the UK (47%, n = 124), Australia (30%, n = 79) and New Zealand (12%, n = 32). Respondents qualified between 1968 and 2016, and 147 (56%) were female. Respondents worked in different healthcare sectors and this varied between countries: 42 (34%) respondents in the UK worked solely in the public sector, compared to 3 (4%) in Australia and 2 (6%) in New Zealand. Forty-four (35%) respondents in the UK worked solely in private practice, compared to 64 (81%) in Australia and 14 (44%) in New Zealand. UK respondents prescribed more prefabricated orthoses per week (mean 5.5 pairs) than simple insole-type devices (±2.7) and customised devices (±2.9). Similarly, respondents in New Zealand prescribed more prefabricated orthoses per week (±7.7) than simple (±1.4) and customised (±2.8) devices. In contrast, those in Australia prescribed more customised orthoses per week (±4.4) than simple (±0.8) and prefabricated (±1.9) orthoses. Differences in the types of orthoses prescribed were observed between country of practice, working sector, and the condition targeted. Generally, prefabricated orthoses were commonly prescribed for the 26 highlighted conditions in the UK and New Zealand. Australian podiatrists prescribed far fewer devices overall, but when they did prescribe, they were more likely to prescribe custom devices. Respondents in all three countries were more likely to prescribe customised orthoses for people with diabetes complicated by peripheral neuropathy than for diabetes without this complication. Conclusions Foot orthosis prescription habits vary between countries. Prefabricated orthoses were frequently prescribed in the UK and New Zealand, and customised orthoses in Australia. Prescriptions for people with diabetes differed depending on the presence of neuropathy, despite a lack of robust evidence supporting these decisions. This study provides new insight into contemporary practice.
dc.identifier.doi10.1186/s13047-018-0304-zen_NZ
dc.identifier.issn1757-1146en_NZ
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10292/12077
dc.publisherBioMed Centralen_NZ
dc.relation.urihttps://jfootankleres.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13047-018-0304-z
dc.rightsThis article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.
dc.rights.accessrightsOpenAccessen_NZ
dc.subjectFoot; Orthoses; Podiatry; Survey
dc.titleA Survey of Foot Orthoses Prescription Habits Amongst Podiatrists in the UK, Australia and New Zealanden_NZ
dc.typeJournal Article
pubs.elements-id349800
pubs.organisational-data/AUT
pubs.organisational-data/AUT/Health & Environmental Science
pubs.organisational-data/AUT/Health & Environmental Science/Clinical Sciences
pubs.organisational-data/AUT/PBRF
pubs.organisational-data/AUT/PBRF/PBRF Health and Environmental Sciences
pubs.organisational-data/AUT/PBRF/PBRF Health and Environmental Sciences/HH Clinical Sciences 2018 PBRF
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