SACRAMENTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--HipScreen, a mobile application developed by pediatric orthopaedic surgeons at Shriners Hospitals for Children — Northern California, has put early detection of hip disorders in children with cerebral palsy in the hands of physicians and parents worldwide.
One in three children with cerebral palsy is at risk for hip development problems. A regular schedule of examinations and x-rays — a hip surveillance program — can preserve a child’s function and greatly reduce pain. HipScreen promotes early detection by guiding users through the surveillance process with educational materials and assessment tools.
The American Academy of Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine honored HipScreen with its Fred P. Sage Award on September 24, 2016 at its annual meeting in Hollywood, Florida. The Sage award recognizes outstanding clinical research and educational material presented in an electronic format.
Dr. Vedant Kulkarni, who led the development of HipScreen, accepted the Sage award. Dr. Kulkarni is devoted to treating children with all types of pediatric orthopaedic conditions and injuries. He has a special interest in neuromuscular disorders such as cerebral palsy and is part of the Cerebral Palsy Center of Excellence at the Northern California Shriners Hospital, where he worked with the program director Dr. Jon R. Davids to develop HipScreen.
The Academy also honored Dr. Kulkarni with the Mac Keith Press Promising Career Award for his scientific presentation validating the accuracy of HipScreen’s x-ray assessment tool.
“Hip surveillance has a long track record of success in Europe and Australia where centralized medicine has allowed for close study of the population of children with cerebral palsy. The application of these proven hip surveillance programs in a global medical context will require innovation,” says Dr. Kulkarni.
“By 2020, it is estimated that 70 percent of the world’s population will have smartphone access and that 90 percent of the globe will have access to high-speed data networks. The development of this app utilized this growing technologic trend to educate and empower providers and families to understand and implement hip surveillance guidelines,” Dr. Kulkarni adds.
HipScreen gives providers and their families a resource to better understand and utilize hip surveillance guidelines for children with cerebral palsy. Its features include:
- Embedded educational material on evidence for hip surveillance, radiologic and clinical evaluation, and clinical protocols for effective surveillance;
- Evidence-based guidelines on frequency of clinical exam and x-rays; and
- An easy-to-use tool for measuring x-rays on your devices, while maintaining patient privacy.
To learn more about the innovative HipScreen application, go to www.hipscreen.org, where the app can be downloaded for Apple iOS devices. It soon will be available for the Android platform.
Shriners Hospitals for Children is devoted to transforming the lives of children through excellence in treatment, teaching and research. Located at 2425 Stockton Boulevard in Sacramento, Shriners Hospitals for Children – Northern California provides care to children with orthopaedic conditions, spinal cord injuries, burns, cleft lip, scars from any cause and other complex surgical needs. There are no barriers to care as admission is based on age and diagnosis. Care is provided regardless of the family’s ability to pay. For further information call (916) 453-2000 or go online to www.shrinerschildrens.org.
