A strong foundation for global O&P

The O&P Global Project

Before seeking to establish a global organisation dedicated to supporting national-level regulation of the orthotist/prosthetist workforce, it is essential to research, develop and consult with the O&P community to design a solid foundation for the organisation.

This is the purpose of the O&P Global Project - to lead the research, development and consultation needed to ensure this future global organisation based on best-practice governance principles and founded on transparent recommendations.

Our structured two-phase approach to these research activities will allow us to:

  • Capitalise on global expertise

  • Use this knowledge to inform the design of the organisation’s structure

  • Ensure the organisation meets the needs of existing and emerging national O&P associations, as well as the global community of orthotist/prosthetists.  

Phase 1: Research & Investigation 

Phase 1 will involve detailed research and investigation which will inform a proposed organisational structure, and includes: 

  • A review of grey literature (e.g., web published reports) on organisational governance structures to ensure we focus on the right outcomes in the subsequent environmental scan (e.g., constitution, staffing structure, registration requirements etc.).

  • An environmental scan of the governance, membership, and income stream structures of existing national and global professional organisations.

  • Semi-structured interviews with executives and/or board chairs of existing national and global professional organisations to identify barriers and enablers to the success of global professional organisations with a particular focus on governance, membership and income stream structures.

Phase 1 will conclude with two outputs:  

  • A Report describing the results of the literature review and interviews

  • An Issues Paper highlighting the key learnings and recommendations from the Research and Investigation phase and developed to support the consultation in Phase Two.

Phase 2: Consultation 

Phase 2 will involve an extensive global consultation with a diverse range of stakeholders including:

  • Existing national associations/bodies (e.g., BAPO) and their members (e.g., orthotist/prosthetists), given that these bodies would be future members of the global O&P professional organisation  

  • Emerging or informal national associations/bodies, such as those not yet a formal entity, but informally established, such as through social media

  • The international O&P community: multidisciplinary societies (e.g., ISPO), academic networks (e.g., universities), regulators (e.g., NCOPE), commercial suppliers

  • External stakeholders: international agencies (e.g., WHO GATE), international professional bodies of other allied health disciplines (e.g., World Physiotherapy), assistive technology development organisations (e.g., ATscale) and Disabled People’s Organisations (e.g., International Disability Alliance) and users of orthoses and prostheses.

The consultation will be conducted using multiple mechanisms including: open-surveys, stakeholder interviews and public webinars. The findings of the consultation will be synthesised into a report, and used to refine the proposed governance, membership and income stream structures.

 
 

Project Conclusion

A final report will make recommendations to inform the design of a global organisation dedicated to supporting national-level regulation of the orthotist/prosthetist workforce, such as: recommended governance model, membership types, and revenue streams.