Education Standards for Prosthetic/Orthotic Occupations
In 1991, WHO and ISPO established standards and accompanying guidelines for training prosthetic/orthotic service providers. These standards and guidelines were voluntarily adopted by 38 programmes in 26 countries and 81 programmes (and/ or national pathways).
ISPO’s historical nomenclature and definitions (i.e., Category I, II, and III) have been valuable tools in defining the profile of individuals in various prosthetic/orthotic occupations across settings. However, ISPO Categories have been difficult to communicate to mainstream audiences and feedback from the ISPO membership suggested these categories are not well understood. In 2010, ISPO launched the education standards through a massive undertaking which included extensive literature review, stakeholder feedback, and alignment with the following:
- Mainstream accreditation practices,
- International Labour Organization’s Standard Classification of Occupations,
- World Health Organization (WHO) prosthetics and orthotics service standards,
- Global National Qualification Framework.
Launched in September 2018, the new ISPO Education Standards for Prosthetic/Orthotic Occupations respond to the evolving needs of persons with disabilities and the aging population worldwide. The number of people in need of assistive products is growing steadily, yet there is a significant shortage in appropriately trained workforce and available training programmes.
The International Society for Prosthetics Orthotics (ISPO) International Education Standards aim to globally:
Support
Enhance
Ensure
Encourage
International education standards underpin an external, independent assessment and subsequent accreditation awarded to programmes that satisfy the standards. This promotes consistent, high-quality training around the world.
