EDUCATION - Western University of Health Sciences

and to help complete “patient days” in the PTprogram when patients come in to work withstudents during their didactic preparation. Thestudents will now have access to the SMARTBalance Master for comprehensive assessment andtreatment, according to Dr. Hudson–McKinney.“More and more clinics are utilizing thisequipment in clinical practice. Our students willnow have an edge over other schools in their leveland degree of preparation,” Dr. Hudson-McKinneysaid.Several members from Physical Therapy Educationtook part in training when the system arrived,learning basic navigation of the menus. They alsoput Associate Professor Casey Chaney, PT, PhD,ODC, CSCS, on the balance machine during aSensory Organization Test.During the test, Dr. Chaney said, “I’m doing realwell. This tells you I use my eyes a lot for balance,Whoa!”After being tested, she said she felt a littledisoriented, like she just got off a boat but couldstill feel the motion of the water.The SMART Balance Master objectively identifiesabnormalities in the patient's use of the threesensory systems that contribute to balance control:sensation from the legs, vision, and the inner ear.More than one-third of all adults 65 and older falleach year. Costs are projected to reach $43.8 billionin non-fatal injuries by 2020, according to Dr.McKinney-Hudson.The College of Allied Health Professions’ DeanStephanie Bowlin, Dr. Donna Redman-Bentley, andDr. Dee Schilling all played key roles in bringingthe system to WesternU.“The equipment is designed for use by cliniciansand multidisciplinary teams,” said NicholasKostechko, III, Regional Sales Executive atNeuroCom International, Inc., the maker of theSMART Balance Master. “One of the primarybenefits of the product is that it provides completeassessment and patient management informationwhich increases the clinician’s efficiency andeffectiveness for patients with balanceimpairments.”The SMART BalanceMaster has definitecross-over ability toDO, optometry, andpodiatry programs, Dr.Hudson-McKinney said.The College ofOptometry and theCollege of PodiatricMedicine both expressed interest in collaborativeresearch, depending on their new faculty, Redman-Bentley said.“We are hopeful that those colleges may be able toassist with acquisition of additional apparatus forthis basic system to expand our research andteaching opportunities,” she said.Dr. Chaney and Dr. Vicki Graham will travel toPortland, Ore., sometime in the summer foradditional training at NeuroCom’s headquartersduring a collaborative training session with otherphysical therapists from across the country.Students started to utilize the SMART BalanceMaster in a few classes such as “Evaluation &Treatment of Neurological Disorders” and“Differential Diagnosis of Neurological Disorders.”If you are interested in a self evaluation to helpdetermine if you may be at a risk for a fall, checkout the Balance Self Test onhttp://www.balanceandmobility.com/patient_info/printout.aspx.— Jeff MaletWesternU View Spring/Summer 2009 43