Ode to Women
That women were extraordinary human beings, capable of exemplary achievements with their refined intelligence and intuition we already knew.
However, the scientific world is still tied to typically male hierarchies and women are not always given the merits they deserve.
MerloBioEngineering wants to celebrate women by recognizing all their success in the rehabilitation field.
Women and balance
Did you know that some of the most used clinical scales to assess patient’s balance and risk of falling were developed by women?
Mary Tinetti
Dr. Tinetti is a Professor of Medicine and Public Health at Yale School of Medicine.
The Tinetti Test took her name. It was published in 1986 to assess the gait and balance in older adults and to assess perception of balance and stability during activities of daily living and fear of falling. It was validated to be used with several populations, as orthopedic and neurological patients. The lower the score obtained at the test, the higher the risk of falling.
Katherine Berg
Dr. Berg is a PhD physiotherapist, Associate Professor Emerita of the Department of Physical Therapy of Toronto University.
The Berg Balance Scale was named after her and is used to clinically test static and dynamic balance abilities. Among Balance test, it is usually considered the gold standard because of its psychometric properties. The higher the score, the higher the independence from assistance during ambulation and daily life.
Ann Hendrich
Dr. Hendrich is an American PhD nurse.
During her years of work in the wards, she developed skills and knowledge about fall risk factors in hospitalized patients, starting to track on post-it notes the patients who fell and why until the development of a wide electronic database that is the basis for the identification of the relevant risk items and of their weight.
Today, the Hendrich II Fall Risk Model is one of the most rigorous fall risk assessment available.
Janice Morse
Janice Morse, is a PhD nurse and began the development of the scale with a pilot project in 1985.
Morse Falls Scale is a rapid and simple method of assessing a patient’s likelihood of falling. It is particularly appreciated by nurse because of the ease of use, especially in acute care settings.
Fay B. Horak
Dr. Horak is a PhD physiotherapist and professor of Neurology and Biomechanical Engineering at Oregon Health and Science University.
She has developed the Balance Evaluation Systems Test (BESTest) to differentiate balance into six underlying systems that may constrain it: Biomechanical, Stability Limits, Postural Responses, Anticipatory Postural Adjustments, Sensory Orientation, and Dynamic Balance during Gait and Cognitive Effects.
Female researchers truly have an extra gear!
Written by M. Chiara Bò, PT – MerloBioEngineering
