Authors (including presenting author) :
Law HT(1), Ng MC(1), Chan WKV(1), Chin YM(1)
Affiliation :
(1)Occupational Therapy Department, Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital
Keyword 1: :
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Keyword 2: :
Occupational Therapy
Keyword 3: :
Web based programming
Keyword 4: :
Pressure garments pattern
Keyword 5: :
Smart care provision
Introduction :
Pressure garment prescription is a core service in Occupational Therapy, commonly used for vascular disorders and scar management. Take the example of tailor-made below-knee pressure sock prescription, a typical treatment session involves about 30 minutes of therapist’s patient contact time for limb measurement, education and garments fitness check. In order to fabricate a perfect-fit pressure sock for the patient, the pattern drafting process is essential. This process is detailed and labor-intensive as it requires precise calculations of pressure levels at multiple limb segments and specialized expertise to ensure therapeutic efficacy. The inexperience of new therapists’ pattern drafting skills, compounded with the lack of immediate feedback and guidance could make a notable impact on service quality and efficiency. In PYNEH OT Department, an estimation of 84 man-hours per therapist (in a team comprising 4 therapists) were spent in below-knee socks pattern drafting in 2024 to meet the service demand. To align with HA’s strategic goal in smart care provision leveraging AI support, a novel invention was developed to cope with the surge in service demand and quality. The invention comprises the following features: 1.Automated and calibrated pattern calculation
2.Adaptive pattern modification for fitness
3.Instant feedback mechanism
Objectives :
1.To transform a labor-intensive manual pattern drafting process into streamlined and efficient operation. 2.To improve pattern drafting accuracy and garments fit, minimizing human error and post-production adjustments.
Methodology :
A clinical pilot was conducted from August to October 2025, involving 105 patients diagnosed with vascular disorders. Their respective below-knee socks patterns were generated by new programming. 4 therapists ranging from 1 to 10 years pattern drafting experiences participated in the study. The evaluation focused on clinical time efficiency and the pressure garments fitness.
Result & Outcome :
All mentioned objectives were successfully achieved. By enabling the rapid creation of below-knee sock patterns in under 5 minutes, 66.7% clinical efficiency was enhanced. The AI-generated sock patterns achieved 100% precision fit without post-production adjustments, 33.3% patient contact time in garments-fitting therapy sessions was decreased due to perfect fitness in one single fitting. The introduction of the new AI application enables therapists to streamline the pattern drafting process, saving valuable time that can be better utilized to enhance patient care and focus on clinical development. With continual integration of clinical knowledge with AI assistance, the way forward is to broaden service coverage for pattern drafting of pressure gloves and pants.
