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Finger extension stiffness is a common post-traumatic complication that results in the hand's functional impairment. In clinical practice, a dynamic splint enables the patient to stretch the affected finger independently. However, current dynamic splints have drawbacks, such as limited stretching efficacy, and interfere with the hand's functional activities. Therefore, this study aimed to develop a dynamic finger flexion orthosis capable of stretching each finger joint using additive manufacturing (AM) technology, thereby enabling hand functional activity, and analyze the clinical improvement in the range of motion (ROM). One subject with a hand fracture was recruited while undergoing a 7-week home-based rehabilitation program for the orthosis. The outcome measurements included the total active motion (TAM), the tip-to-finger distance (TPD), and the score on the Disability of Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH) questionnaire. The results show that the TAM of the participant's fingers increased by 72.7 degrees on average, the TPD decreased by 3.5 cm on average, and the DASH score decreased to 9.5 points. The 7-week home-based rehabilitation program for the orthosis resulted in a 53.6% increase in the TAM on average. The developed orthosis improved hand function and enabled a more complete ROM in finger flexion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the majority of the population has preferred to go to large hospitals regardless of the severity of their illnesses, resulting in a waste of medical resources. In view of this situation, the government has proposed a cross-hospital integration plan to promote the integration of medical resources. Hospitals that provide support can not only increase their income but also extend their medical coverage to other regions and get wide access to more patients. While previous studies mainly focused on the internal shift scheduling of hospitals, this study took into account both the internal hospital and the support to branch hospitals and particularly explored the financial benefits generated by the provision of support and the satisfaction of physicians on shift scheduling. Decision makers can give different weight values according to the management needs and then determine the most appropriate physician shift schedule according to the final decision value. The shift-schedule-building system developed in this study could be used to quickly calculate the most appropriate shift schedule according to the actual needs, which could replace the time-consuming method of manual scheduling and improve physician satisfaction and hospital financial income. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]