Benefits of Scanning in O&P (Scanning vs Casting)
We’ve interacted with hundreds of users around the world since our launch in June and we’ve found that about fifty percent (50%) of the industry is currently scanning in O&P. Sometimes the question is: what are the benefits of Comb scanner versus the scanner I'm currently using? But equally as frequent is the question: What are the benefits of scanning in O&P versus casting in O&P? Or, why should I switch from plaster and casting to scanning and digital fabrication?
We could go on and on about why we're team-digital, but sometimes it’s easier to hear from an industry veteran. We asked one of our power users, Brian Greer, CPO at Mobility Prosthetics in Utah to share his thoughts on O&P scanning and the direction of digital fabrication in the industry.
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Written by:
Brian Greer, CPO, BOCO
Mobility Prosthetics, Utah
Scanning and digital workflow are important for many reasons, probably more than I have time to list. Some that I have seen over my career are:
More Precision
Digital scanning and computer-aided design allow me to compare not just the changes in measurements of a limb that have occurred over periods of time but the shape changes as well. Amputated limbs swell up, they shrink down, bony prominences become more or less pronounced. Once I have taken a scan of a patient's limb I can refer back to it and compare it to future scans, even superimposing the new limb over the old. You can't do that with plaster.
Easier to Store
Our business is in the habit of taking a scan at every appointment...that is a lot of scans. We store these scans in our computer system. I have seen companies who literally have walls full of plaster models...hundreds of square feet required for storage. All of our files are stored in a cloud, accessible from our office, our homes and even our tablets.
Faster, Cleaner, Easier than Plaster
Scanning is faster, cleaner and easier than taking a plaster model. In school we spent days, maybe even weeks learning how to wrap plaster, taping down a piece of butcher paper, filling a bucket with water, preparing various measurement tools, donning gloves and aprons and applying protective clothing to patients. Still our shoes and clothing were dotted with plaster splatter. Patient's clothing would be ruined at times, furniture was ruined. The casting procedure took an hour or more and, at the end of it all, we often had a plaster cast that vaguely resembled the person's limb.
With scanning, I have literally taught my 12 year old to take scans of things. I am no longer cleaning plaster off of my shoes and clothing. The scanning procedure takes less than 1 minute instead of hours and I do not have to carry around a bucket of water or a suitcase of measurement and casting supplies.
Mobility
Scanning is more mobile than casting. I have taken scans in people's living rooms, doctor's offices, our office, skilled nursing facilities, waiting rooms and even parking lots. Our company is named Mobility Prosthetics because scanning and our digital workflow enable us to be truly mobile. This is a huge benefit to our patients, who don't have to arrange transportation, travel (sometimes hours) to and from our office or wait in a waiting room in order to be seen. During COVID-19 we recognize that mobile, in-home care reduces patients' risk of exposure to COVID-19 and partners extremely well with tele-health services provided by referring physicians.
How much more efficient (financially and from a manufacturing perspective) is digital compared to casting?
I would estimate that scanning and a digital workflow increases efficiency by 90%, meaning, I can do most tasks related to casting and fabrication in 1/10th of the time I could with plaster. This frees me up to dedicate more time and attention to patient interaction and paperwork, which has become extremely tedious and time-consuming over the last decade.
Scanning and the digital workflow make it so that our office doesn't have to be as large as it would if we used plaster. We don't need a lab area dedicated to plaster modification so our rent is cheaper. We don't need to purchase tools and equipment for plaster modification so that saves us money as well.
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