Characterization of the Adonis Brace via Patient Reported Outcome Measures, Mechanical Simulations, and Market Comparability Analyses; From Paper to Patients: Socio-Technical Networks and Orthopedic Device Adoption 3 views

Medical innovation generates state-of-the-art technologies with the potential to fundamentally improve the way we approach treatment today. However, many of these new technologies fail to be adopted. This undergraduate thesis portfolio combines a technical capstone evaluating a novel orthopedic device and a Science, Technology, and Society (STS) research paper examining the broader factors that influence medical device adoption. While the capstone project investigates how effective a specific orthopedic device is from a clinical and biomechanical lens, the STS research further explores whether and why such devices are ultimately accepted and used in real-world healthcare settings. Together, these projects address the issue of adoption from two perspectives. The technical project focuses on collecting sufficient empirical evidence to validate the effectiveness of a device. On the other hand, the STS research contextualizes that evidence within a larger socio-technical network to understand how that information influences adoption and what other factors are important to consider. Even the most promising technologies from a technical perspective may fail to achieve adoption, and this dual perspective provides a more comprehensive outlook on what determines success.

BS (Bachelor of Science)

Actor-Network Theory; Orthopedic Devices; Osteoarthritis; Market Analysis; Healthcare

English

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2026-05-06