Lapland UAS sharpens cooperation with companies in the wellbeing and health technology sector – Gait analysis in physiotherapy clinical training

Lapland UAS collaborates with health technology companies – Gait analysis in physiotherapy clinical training

measuring gait with movesole clinic measuring gait with movesole outside Future services and distance management is one of the strategic choices of Lapland University of Applied Sciences. The focus of this strategic choice, sustainable solutions that promote well-being, includes two areas of expertise where the use of technology is naturally integrated into environments, operating models, and services.

In 2022, Lapland University of Applied Sciences strengthened its collaboration with companies in the wellness and health technology sector, as well as in the area of digital health-related cooperation with working life. We have renewed our networks related to business cooperation and reinforced existing connections. At the same time, we have promoted multidisciplinary team-based work related to wellness and health technology and enhanced the expertise of our staff within our HyTe interest group.

Introducing Technology to Future Physiotherapy Professionals

Fertile collaboration has been carried out by different competence groups with companies in the field. One example of this is the cooperation between the physiotherapy program and MoveSole Oy. Second-year physiotherapy students set up a Wellbeing Clinic in our learning environment for six weeks as part of their studies, where they offered functional capacity assessments and massage services to clients. Traditionally, the clinic provides services such as body composition, mobility, muscle strength, and endurance fitness assessments, along with guidance, advice, and personalized exercise programs for clients.

This time, during the clinic placement, there was a great opportunity to offer clients a walking analysis based on the solution provided by MoveSole Oy as part of the services for a two-week period. The students performed walking analysis measurements for a total of 24 clients over the two weeks. Additionally, the students diligently conducted measurements on themselves and their fellow students to gain experience in performing the assessments and providing feedback on the results of the walking analysis.

According to Minna Lappi from MoveSole Oy, the Wellbeing Clinic implemented by Lapland University of Applied Sciences is an excellent example of how future professionals in the field can concretely test new wellness technology solutions as a natural part of their emerging professional identity. On the other hand, it also introduces digital services to citizens in a very accessible way, she says.

Experiences of Success from Company Collaboration in Clinic Training

After the clinic training, verbal feedback was collected from the students, who were responsible for the measurements. The Wellbeing Clinic's clients were mainly healthy individuals, and many of them received fairly symmetrical results from the gait analysis. Both the students and the clients were very pleased with MoveSole. The students found the instructions for using MoveSole clear and the device itself easy to use.

The students saw the potential of the device as a supportive tool, for example, in analyzing the gait of neurological clients or in the rehabilitation of surgery patients. The second-year students felt that they were not yet fully capable of providing an exercise program to clients based solely on the MoveSole gait analysis. However, one client was planning to see a podiatrist, and to demonstrate the asymmetry, they were advised to take the results along to the professional appointment.

It is important to note that MoveSole products are validated but are not medical devices. MoveSole products are developed for professional use to provide objective data to support gait analysis. The final decision on necessary actions is always made by a professional in collaboration with the client.

In summary, the students concluded that MoveSole provides a good indication of the symmetry of weight distribution during walking and serves as an effective tool to support gait analysis. Using technology during their studies increases students' knowledge of wellness and health technology and gives them a good understanding of the products available on the market and the tools they may use in their future profession.

According to Mira Väyrynen, who coordinated the clinic training, the collaboration with MoveSole went smoothly overall, and the physiotherapy students welcomed the new technology with enthusiasm! The company mentioned that collaborating with educational institutions is a good way to promote the acceptance of technology as part of professionals' work.

Promoting the Adoption of Technological Solutions

Wellness and health technologies play a key role in preventing the increasing demand for services, developing more impactful social and healthcare services, and producing more personalized wellness and health services. With the help of technologies integrated into services, the focus can be shifted from economically and humanly burdensome reactive care towards proactive anticipation and preventive measures. Technologies can also help provide solutions to the workforce shortage in the care sector.

According to Saara Hassinen, the CEO of Healthtech Finland, Finnish wellness and health technology companies have performed excellently, for example, in other Nordic markets, where the adoption of new technology has been faster. However, she emphasizes the importance of making the solutions developed here available to Finns as well (Hassinen, S. 2022).

‘The adoption of technology is primarily a change in culture and processes. It is important to encourage close dialogue between technocrats and healthcare service organizations. Interaction increases mutual understanding and alleviates the uncertainty related to the change’, states Hassinen.

Similarly, MoveSole Oy, a partner in the physiotherapy clinic training, highlighted that a significant question is how we can together find effective ways to utilize technology in wellness services without losing the human touch in the work.

Authors:

Terhi Holappa MSc, MHSc, Senior Specialist in Health Technology and Digital Health, Lapland University of Applied Sciences

Mira Väyrynen, MHSc, Specialist, Lapland University of Applied Sciences