At the beginning of our mission - namely to improve hand therapy in the long term - we had an exchange with many therapists and doctors in order to optimally adapt the development of our therapy device to the needs of hand therapists and patients. In the process, Pascal came into contact with Stefan Schmitt, a committed hand therapist from Mönchengladbach, who was convinced by the product and subsequently bought an AnyHand for the right and left hand for his practice . In the interview, he talks about his everyday life and what role the AnyHand plays in his therapy practice.
Pascal and Stefan at the AnyHand
Dear Stefan, thank you for taking the time to talk about your everyday life as a hand therapist and the use of AnyHand! First of all: What does everyday life look like in your practice? Why don't you take us with you into your practice?
Our team consists of 15 occupational therapists. Our five practice managers are responsible for making appointments with our patients . We therapists work from 7:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. and have a different hand in front of us every half hour, so we treat our patients every half hour.
You have half an hour of therapy time per patient:in - i.e. it's a relatively tightly scheduled day, right?
That is correct. But physiotherapists only have 20 minutes of therapy time per patient. We are lucky with the 30 minutes. Nevertheless, we clearly feel the lack of therapists and we would like to give our patients more therapy time. That's why I wish more people would choose occupational occupations in occupational therapy and hand therapy.
With therapy time at a premium, our AnyHand comes into play. How did you first come into contact with the AnyHand and what was the process like from the first contact to the application in the practice?
At the very beginning, Pascal and Dominic approached us and presented their idea of a hand therapy device. This was still during the development phase, when they were gathering experience from practices and clinics. During this phase, we exchanged ideas about how such a device would have to look and function in order to meet the requirements of hand therapy. Later, Pascal introduced us to the final product - the AnyHand. My first impression was good and I bought two pieces for my practice without hesitation, that was in autumn 2021. When they were delivered, we had a training session of about 2 hours, where all therapists were present and we tried them out on patients. After we therapists had familiarised ourselves with the device, about 7 out of 15 therapists in our practice now use AnyHand regularly.
I guess the decision was pretty easy for you?
Yes, I had made up my mind quickly. In principle, I am a big fan of therapy equipment. Our practice is equipped in many ways. We have a room full of equipment, including a laser, two ultrasound and electrotherapy, magnetic field therapy, cryotherapy and two cupping machines. It is important to me to constantly increase the quality of our practice and to set an example that we can use these devices.
Where do you see the most important applications for the AnyHand?
The AnyHand can be used wherever fingers can only be moved with difficulty and they need to be moved passively. In my opinion, the AnyHand is especially valuable for newly operated patients. These patients often have a relatively high sensation of pain and at the same time it is particularly important to move the injured hand frequently. This is where there is the greatest danger of structures sticking together and permanently restricting movement. That's why one of the most important tasks of therapy is to prevent these complications, so that the operation really makes sense. The AnyHand is a great addition. At the moment, we first put the patients on the AnyHand for about 20 minutes and then they have their therapy time with the therapists. So we can double the therapy time for our patients together with the AnyHand. It would be even better if this therapy time were staggered. We are still working on a more suitable concept.
Does the AnyHand meet your expectations?
Overall, I am satisfied with the device and also with the service. If a problem arises, I know who to contact and we always get help. . I think that if therapy on the AnyHand can be officially claimed as treatment time, it can save us a lot of time, time in which the therapist can take care of other patients.
Would you recommend AnyHand to other therapy practices and patients for home use?
For other therapy practices, I definitely recommend the AnyHand! For home use, I think it depends on the diagnosis. There are diagnoses where home therapy with the AnyHand makes sense. These are, for example, injuries that have to do with tendons. In the best case, these patients would actually need therapy two to three times a day. Of course, the AnyHand is very well suited for this. That is why it is best to discuss the purchase of the AnyHand for home use with the treating therapist beforehand.
Thank you Stefan for the exciting insight into your practice and your experiences with the AnyHand.
The person
After training as an occupational therapist, Stefan Schmitt first worked in an orthopaedic rehabilitation clinic. When he moved to the Rhineland in 1999, he rather accidentally ended up in a therapy practice where mainly hands were treated. He realised straight away that this was exactly his field and that he wanted to continue working in it. So he trained as a hand therapist at the German Association for Hand Therapy(DAHTH ). Today he runs his own practice for hand therapy in Mönchengladbach. He finds it particularly motivating that both patients and therapists can quickly achieve success. In addition, there are few hand therapists overall, but they are urgently needed.