Alison Porter-Armstrong
alison porter armstrong

Dr Alison Porter-Armstrong DPhil, BSc (Hons) OT, MRCOT, HCPC Registered

Professor

 0131 455 4570

  A.Porter-Armstrong@napier.ac.uk

   

Biography

Alison is Professor of Healthcare Technology Innovation and Assessment in the School of Health and Social Care at Edinburgh Napier University, and leads the Healthcare Technology Research Group. Alison is an occupational therapist whose research interests include: assistive technologies, seating and postural support, pressure care, and innovations in upper limb rehabilitation and stroke care. She has published widely in these areas authoring 200 peer reviewed publications, commissioned research reports, keynote addresses and conference presentations. As a Cochrane Fellow, she led the Cochrane Review team on the systematic review of education of healthcare professionals for the prevention of pressure ulcers. Her research programme has generated significant research grant income of approximately £7million, involving collaboration with a variety of prestigious organisations, including the University of California Los Angeles, The University of Pittsburgh, Georgia Institute of Technology and the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. Alison has won many awards for her work including First Placed lead academic for the Best Knowledge Transfer Partnerships in both Northern Ireland and subsequently in the United Kingdom competition; was a finalist in the Praxis Unico Impact Awards (Business Achieved Category) and is a recipient of the H21 Award for Services to the European Seating Symposium.

Alison is a Trustee and Treasurer of the European Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel (EPUAP), immediate past Co-Chair of the Scientific Committee for the European Seating Symposium (ESS),and is an invited member of the International Society for Wheelchair Professionals (ISWP). Alison has been a review panel member for many prestigious funding bodies including the Department of Health, the Wellcome Trust, and the Health Innovation Challenge Fund.

School

Research Groups

News

Esteem

Advisory panels and expert committees or witness

  • Member of the Advisory Board, Royal College of Occupational Therapists' Research Foundation
  • Member Judging Panel, The Irish Education Awards
  • Trustee, Member of Executive Board , & Treasurer, European Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel (EPUAP)

 

Conference Organising Activity

  • Chair, Scientific Committee European Seating Symposium

 

Editorial Activity

  • Editorial Board Member, Journal of Tissue Viability
  • Editorial Board Member, Quality and Ageing

 

External Examining/Validations

  • PhD examiner

 

Fellowships and Awards

  • H21 Award for Services to the European Seating Symposium
  • Cochrane Fellowship Award
  • Lead Academic, First Placed Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP), UK
  • Lead Academic, First Placed Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) NI

 

Membership of Professional Body

  • European Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel
  • Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) Registered
  • Member of the Royal College of Occupational Therapists

 

Reviewing

  • Manuscript review: British Journal of Occupational Therapy; Physical Therapy Reviews; Journal of Tissue Viability

 

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Date


57 results

Establishing best practice in seating assessment for children with physical disabilities using qualitative methodologies

Journal Article
Wright, C., Casey, J., & Porter-Armstrong, A. (2010)
Establishing best practice in seating assessment for children with physical disabilities using qualitative methodologies. Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology, 5(1), 34-47. https://doi.org/10.3109/17483100903137154
Purpose. To identify best practice in children's seating assessment in the UK and Ireland. Method. The researchers observed six children's seating assessments performed by fo...

The Use of Pressure and Silicone in Hypertrophic Scar Management in Burns Patients: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

Journal Article
Harte, D., Gordon, J., Shaw, M., Stinson, M., & Porter-Armstrong, A. (2009)
The Use of Pressure and Silicone in Hypertrophic Scar Management in Burns Patients: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of Burn Care and Research, 30(4), 632-642. https://doi.org/10.1097/bcr.0b013e3181ac01a3
This pilot study investigates whether pressure and silicone therapy used simultaneously are more effective in treating multiple characteristics of hypertrophic scars than pres...

Pulsed electromagnetic energy in management of chronic wounds: a systematic review

Journal Article
McGaughey, H., Dhamija, S., Oliver, L., Porter-Armstrong, A., & McDonough, S. (2009)
Pulsed electromagnetic energy in management of chronic wounds: a systematic review. Physical Therapy Reviews, 14(2), 132-146. https://doi.org/10.1179/174328809x435231
Objectives: To assess the evidence regarding effectiveness of pulsed electromagnetic energy (PEME) on the healing of chronic wounds; to explore whether there is an optimum tre...

Exploring the application of ultrasound technology in pressure ulcer prevention – an international multidisciplinary team study

Journal Article
Moorehead, A., Adams, C., Stinson, M., Porter-Armstrong, A., Gardner, E., Donnelly, J., …Lyder, C. (2008)
Exploring the application of ultrasound technology in pressure ulcer prevention – an international multidisciplinary team study. Wound Repair and Regeneration, 16(6), A81. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1524-475X.2008.00424.x
Introduction: High frequency ultrasound (HFUS) can create real-time two-dimensional images of internal structures to examine the first few centimetres depth of sub-dermal soft...

Repeatability of high frequency ultrasound scanning in pressure ulcer prevention: can it be achieved?

Conference Proceeding
Adams, C., Moorehead, A., Stinson, M., Porter-Armstrong, A., Gardner, E., Donnelly, J., …Lyder, C. (2008)
Repeatability of high frequency ultrasound scanning in pressure ulcer prevention: can it be achieved?. In EPUAP Review: Volume 9, Issue 2, 2008
Introduction High frequency ultrasound scanning (HFUS), at a frequency of 20MHz, allows real-time two-dimensional imaging of internal structures in a non-invasive manner and c...

Interface pressure measurements: Visual interpretation of pressure maps with MS clients

Journal Article
Stinson, M. D., Crawford, S. A., & Porter-Armstrong, A. P. (2008)
Interface pressure measurements: Visual interpretation of pressure maps with MS clients. Disability and Rehabilitation, 30(8), 618-624. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638280701400409
Purpose. Pressure mapping systems provide useful information for pressure care assessment. Healthcare professionals tend to rely upon their colour-coded pressure maps to assis...

Effectiveness of training on the community skills of children with intellectual disabilities

Journal Article
Drysdale, J., Casey, J., & Porter-Armstrong, A. (2008)
Effectiveness of training on the community skills of children with intellectual disabilities. Scandinavian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 15(4), 247-255. https://doi.org/10.1080/11038120802456136
Background: Children with intellectual disabilities often have difficulties in daily tasks, requiring training to increase functional independence. This study measured the eff...

Priorities for Occupational Therapy Research in the United Kingdom: Executive Summary of the POTTER Project

Journal Article
Bannigan, K., Boniface, G., Doherty, P., Nichol, M., Porter-Armstrong, A., & Scudds, R. (2008)
Priorities for Occupational Therapy Research in the United Kingdom: Executive Summary of the POTTER Project. British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 71(1), 13-16. https://doi.org/10.1177/030802260807100103
The College of Occupational Therapists commissioned the POTTER project to inform its work and the work of its research foundation. The aim was to identify its members' views a...

Seating and pressure support needs of people with cancer in the cervix or rectum: a case series on the clinical usefulness of pressure mapping assessment

Journal Article
Stinson, M., & Porter-Armstrong, A. (2008)
Seating and pressure support needs of people with cancer in the cervix or rectum: a case series on the clinical usefulness of pressure mapping assessment. European Journal of Cancer Care, 17(3), 298-305. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2354.2007.00839.x
Pressure sores present a challenge to people with rectal and cervical cancers due to weight loss, compromised nutrition, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Affected individuals of...

Hammocking: The effect of cushion covers on interface pressure measurements

Journal Article
Crawford, S. A., Walsh, D. M., & Porter-Armstrong, A. P. (2006)
Hammocking: The effect of cushion covers on interface pressure measurements. Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology, 1(1-2), 141-144. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638280500167647
Purpose. To investigate the effects of the cushion covers on interface pressure measurements using pressure mapping technology. Methods. Sixty-one healthy participants were r...

Current Post Grad projects

Non-Napier PhD or MSc by Research supervisions

  • Beverley Turtle.Mirror box therapy in upper limb rehabilitation with sub-acute stroke patients. PhD.
  • Joanne Marley.Using the Behaviour Change Wheel to develop Interventions to Increase Physical Activity in Adults with Persistent Pain and Improve the Promotion of Physical Activity by Healthcare Professionals. PhD.
  • Lorna Semple.Optimising pressure ulcer prevention: exploring applications and effectiveness of the SKIN bundle. PhD.
  • Katy Pedlow.Constraint Induced Movement Therapy for patients with acquired brain injury. PhD.
  • Rachel Ferguson.The impact of activities of daily living on seating interface pressure. PhD.
  • Daniel Harte.A randomised controlled trial to investigate the collaborative use of pressure and silicone in reducing hypertrophic scar formation after burns. MClinRes.
  • Clare Wright.Establishing best practice in paediatric seating and mobility assessment. MClinRes.
  • Jill Drysdale.The effectiveness of community living skills training in improving functional ability of children with moderate learning disabilities. MClinRes.
  • Catherine Adams.Sensor and imaging technologies in pressure ulceration: exploring use and application. PhD.
  • Mary McGrath. The efficacy of a home based memory rehabilitation programme for patients with mild alzheimers disease who are stable on acetylcholinesterase inhibitors. MPhil.
  • Shelley Crawford.The application of the FSA pressure mapping system in clinical settings. PhD.
  • Laura McKeown.Caregivers of individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS): Intervention and needs during the caregiving experience. PhD.
  • May Stinson. An investigation into the efficacy of the Force Sensing Array pressure care mapping system as a method of assessing pressure sores. PhD.