Education → Clinical Resources

Open Source References

• The Electronic Textbook of Hand Surgery
• VuMedi
  VuMedi is community for practicing physicians, fellows, residents, and members of the allied health community. They are the “You Tube” for healthcare professionals. As PTs, you probably cannot use for CEUs, but there is a lot to learn from this website, especially surgeries. You will be asked to set up your own free account to access this site.
• Putting Evidence Into Practice
  This link takes you to a wealth of resources from APTA including Guide to Physical Therapist Practice, PTJ, CPGs, Tests and Measures, Interventions, PT Outcome Registry, and more.
• Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro)
  A free database that includes clinical trials, reviews and clinical practice guidelines physiotherapy interventions.
• ACCESSSS
  A website from McMaster PLUS that provides access to pre-appraised literature.

Clinical Pearls

Purpose

To share techniques that therapists have found through their clinical experience that have improved patient outcomes. Examples of clinical pearls can include things such as splinting techniques/design, unique exercises, devices to assist with ADLs, tips for improving patient compliance with home programs, etc.

Submission guidelines

No more 2 typed pages and 6 pictures. The submission will be reviewed by at least 2 board or committee members for value to hand/upper extremity therapy practice, ingenuity, and clarity prior to posting on the website.

Click here to submit a clinical pearl.

Submitted Clinical Pearls

• Intrinsic Muscle Home Strengthening Program—Simple Resistive Gadget
• Fabricating Relative Motion Orthoses
• Static Elbow Orthosis
• Radial Tunnel Syndrome

Professional Organizations with Resources for Hand and Upper Extremity Rehabilitation

• Hand Therapy Certification Commission
  Strides to support a high level of competence in hand therapy practice and to advance the specialty through a formal credentialing process.
• American Physical Therapy Association
  Member and Non-member information available
• Academy of Orthopaedic Physical Therapy
  Member and Non-member information available
• American Association of Hand Surgery
  PTs can be members. Member and Non-member information available
• American Association of Orthopedic Surgeons
  Patient and Public resources available.
• American Hand Therapy Foundation
  Funding clinical and scientific research and education to advance the practice of hand therapy and quality of patient care throughout the world.
• American Occupational Therapy Association
  PTs can become Individual Associate Members
• American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons
• American Society for Surgery of the Hand
  Has an affiliate membership category for qualified hand therapists.
• American Society of Hand Therapists
  Do not need to be a CHT to be a member.
• American Society of Peripheral Nerve
  Represents a diverse group of professionals all focused in stimulating research and encouraging study in the field of neural regeneration and restorative neuroscience.
• American Society of Shoulder and Elbow Therapists
  A group of multidisciplinary professionals in the area of shoulder and elbow rehabilitation who place a high value on efficacious exemplary patient care.