Indiana-Ohio Collaboration for Traumatic Amputee Rehabilitation Research

The Indiana-Ohio Initiative Collaborative effort between Indiana University and The Ohio State University IU: School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences School of Medicine Indiana Center for Rehabilitation Sciences and Engineering Research OSU: School of Allied Medical Professions College of Medicine and Public Health Partners: Department of Defense Department of Veteran Affairs Board of Advisors

The Indiana-Ohio Collaboration (Research Team) IU: Mark S Sothmann, PhD, Professor Daniel Vreeman, PT, DPT, Assistant Research Professor Chris Robbins, MPA, Research Associate OSU: Stephen Wilson, PhD, Associate Professor Emeritus Deborah S Larsen, PhD, Associate Professor Department of Defense: Charles R Scoville, PT VA: Bradley N Doebbeling, MD, Professor of Health Services Research & Medicine Consultants: Neil Oldridge, PhD, University of Wisconsin Paul Dougherty, MD, Henry Ford Hospital

Current Situation Walter Reed has funding for a multi- million dollar, 30,000 square foot addition for rehabilitation Brooke Army Medical Center has begun construction on a new amputee care center Both Centers continue to advance their rehabilitative capabilities Pictured right: Cpt. David Rozelle, returned to active duty and another deployment to Iraq Photo obtained from DoD Website

Need Staff at Walter Reed and Brooke Army do an exceptional job of healing the soldier’s bodies But there is little information available on outcomes over the lifespan Very little data about war amputee needs in relation to outcomes such as psychosocial adjustment, quality of life, prosthetics, economic well-being or chronic medical conditions

Vietnam War Traumatic Amputees By studying the Vietnam War veterans, we can learn more about the outcomes of traumatic amputees over the lifespan (30-40 years of living experience) The Vietnam War traumatic amputees number in the tens of thousands and provide us with a large sample for study

Two Critical Questions How can information on outcomes from the Vietnam era traumatic amputees help us develop better long-term rehabilitation practices for amputees from the present and future wars? How can the data we obtain benefit the Vietnam era traumatic amputees and others from past wars as they age?

Long-Term Health Outcomes of Traumatic Amputees DoD has sponsored research to address these two critical questions Relevant issues related to long-term outcomes may include prosthetics, psychosocial adjustment, quality of life, economic factors, access to health care, and associated medical conditions.

Overview of the Project Hypothesis (or what we believe): “United States military personnel who experience a traumatic amputation during conflict have unique rehabilitation needs in terms of their health status, health care utilization, economic, quality of life and psychosocial outcomes over their lifespan”

Locate as many Vietnam veterans with traumatic amputation as possible to form a databank of thousands Establish key outcomes to be studied through focus groups of Vietnam War amputees and clinical and research experts Survey Vietnam War amputees nationally on key outcomes Establish the Indiana-Ohio Center for Traumatic Amputee Rehabilitation Research for ongoing research of war-related amputees Overview of the Project

Protecting the Confidentiality of Vietnam War Amputees Confidentiality procedures have been approved by the Indiana University and Ohio State University Boards for the Protection of Human Subjects Confidentiality procedures have been approved by the US Army Medical Research and Material Command Human Subjects Research Review Board

Challenges to Locating Vietnam War Amputees With recent human rights legislation, contact information through medical records is hindered Treatment of Vietnam War amputees was decentralized in the VA system so no coordinated registry exists Veterans may not be using VA facilities due to employment or other factors Trusting enough to participate

Importance of Veteran and Amputee Organizations Endorsement of the project for the future health and welfare of war amputees Partner in devising a strategy to locate Vietnam War amputees Partner in broad dissemination of findings from the project

Contact for More Information and Participation Website address: Project Coordinator: Chris B Robbins, MPA (317)