During my time at the Missouri Orthopedic Institute I worked with a team of doctors and nurses to test a rehabilitation device that utilized negative pressure wound therapy treatment to expedite the healing process of outpatients who undergo total knee and total hip replacement surgery. This device was named PICO (P-ee-c-o). The idea behind negative pressure wound therapy is that the negative pressure will help with postoperative bleeding, reduce edema, and absorb fluid that the body excretes during the healing process. The reason for this research was to see if the PICO device helped patients heal faster compared to the standard issue honey comb bandage that the Missouri Orthopedic Institute was using. Participants being entered in the program were vetted based on history of compliance with medical treatment, age, and if the patient is scheduled for a total knee or total hip arthroplasty. Participants were educated on the project and written consent was required. The duration of each participants time in the program was to be 34 (+/-14) days with and initial check in immediately post-operation, 7 days post-operation, and 14 days post-operation. The reason for these check ins was to collect research data to see which of the two bandages were performing better at the different stages of healing. The criteria that the two bandages were graded on were drainage amount, user friendliness, complications, returns to the operating room, need for antibiotics, and incision size. The main two ways research results were collected was in person and over the phone. Once results were collected they were then entered and organized in Microsoft Excel to be analyzed for ongoing conclusions and to adjust project parameters as needed.

 

 

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My Role

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I worked at the Missouri Orthopedic Institute the fall semester of my sophomore year and played a big part in the development of this research project. I helped determine recruitment, the way the two bandages were going to be tested against each other, the way results were going to be collected, the collection and organization of those results, and then the management of the project after analyzing the results. Once the parameters of the project were set up it was my main duty to meet with patients during their initial consultation with their doctors to educate them on the research project and how it can benefit them as well as others. Once the patient had given consent I began the onboarding process which consisted of creating participant files for each patient both physical and digital. After each patient's operation I began collecting research results through in person interactions and follow up phone calls. I utilized Microsoft Office as a data entry program to organize all the research results. I had to organize these results in  way that was easy to understand at a quick glance. I frequently analyzed these results in order to track the progress of the project and make adjustments to the project plan as needed. Once the team and I felt certain that the two bandages had been tested adequately, I analyzed the research results and made conclusions. 

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Project Conclusions 

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In short the PICO device bandage on average out performed and helped outpatients heal at a much more rapid rate. The PICO device, on average, was seen to help reduce seroma and clean the wound allowing for quicker healing compared to the standard issue honey comb bandage.

 

 

Results varied amongst users of the device. By no means is this me giving you health care advice. If you have questions regarding whether the PICO device is right for you, speak with your physician. My goal here is to show you my work at the Missouri Orthopedic Institute and should by no means be taken as health care advice.

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Skills Learned

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As a research and development intern working closely wit outpatients in the clinical setting I developed superb interpersonal skills. When working with patients, especially those just coming out of surgery, it takes a great deal of interpersonal skills to calm them down, help them, and get the research results information as needed. Being able to keep myself calm while others were upset aided me in this experience.

 

This experience was the foundation of my analytical skills. I gained the ability to look at large sets of data and synthesize multiple data sources to gain insight and develop actionable plans for the adjustment of project parameters as needed. This experience greatly enhanced my hard skills in Microsoft Office applications as those were the main software programs for data entry, organization, and analyzation. 

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Project management was a large part of what I did at the Missouri Orthopedic Institute. I learned to use the data to foresee large problems and create actionable plans to prevent such problems from happening. I identified areas of inefficiency and set in place improved practices to enhance the strength of the research results. Keeping track of the bandages in inventory, how many bandages were out at the various orthopedic departments, and keeping each orthopedic surgeon supplied with the right amount of PICO and honey comb bandages helped me learn inventory and supply chain management.

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Lastly, I learned teamwork. I needed to be able to communicate effectively in a team while the research project was being designed. I also needed to find the balance of working with the team at a macro level and on my own at a micro level of the research project.