Name: Abdulwahid Mohammed Alharbi
Role: Head of the Orthotics and Prosthetics Department
Institution: Armed Forces Center for Health Rehabilitation, Armed Forces Hospitals – Taif Region
Country: Saudi Arabia
Years in O&P / Rehabilitation: More than 20 years
Clinical / Teaching Focus: Clinical assessment, prosthetic and orthotic prescription, design, fabrication, fitting and follow-up, staff and student training, clinical problem-solving, service improvement, quality management, and departmental leadership.
Main Area of Interest: Patient-centred rehabilitation, clinical reasoning, developing people within O&P, improving service systems, and using new technologies in ways that remain clinically appropriate and genuinely useful to patients.
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Section A: Background and Leadership
What first drew you into prosthetics, orthotics, or rehabilitation?
What first attracted me to this field was the opportunity to help people regain part of their independence. Over the years, however, I came to understand that our profession is much more than making a prosthesis or orthosis.
A patient may come to us after amputation, injury, disability, pain, or a major change in their physical abilities. Often, they are not only dealing with a clinical problem. They may also be dealing with uncertainty about their future, their work, their family responsibilities, and their independence.
I have learned that the first thing we should do is listen. Before taking measurements or discussing components, we should try to understand the person in front of us.
What is important to them?
What are they hoping to regain?
What difficulties are affecting their daily life?
Sometimes, despite all our technical knowledge, the patient teaches us something that changes our entire approach to their treatment.
After more than twenty years in the profession, I still do not believe that experience means we have all the answers. Every patient is different, and every patient can teach us something.
That is one of the reasons I continue to find this profession meaningful.
What does your current role involve day to day?
My role combines clinical work, technical supervision, staff support, education, operations, and service development. I remain involved in clinical cases, particularly when a case is complex or when a colleague would like another opinion. I see my role in those situations not necessarily as the person who has the answer, but as another member of the team who can contribute experience and help us reach the best decision together.
Our work includes patient assessment, prosthetic and orthotic prescription, fabrication, fitting, alignment, footwear services, spinal orthoses, maintenance, follow-up, and troubleshooting.
As Head of Department, I also spend a great deal of time supporting the team, reviewing workloads and waiting times, discussing clinical cases, coordinating services, addressing operational challenges, and working to ensure that staff have the materials, components, equipment, and support they need.
I am very aware that the success of the department is not the work of one person.
It comes from the combined effort of the clinicians, technicians, administrative staff, rehabilitation professionals, and everyone who contributes to the patient’s journey.
I have also been fortunate during my career to work with colleagues who had more experience than I did at different stages of my professional life.
I learned a great deal by observing how they assessed patients, solved technical problems, communicated with families, and managed difficult situations.
Some lessons came from senior colleagues, some from people working beside me, and some even from younger colleagues who approached a problem differently.
I still believe that every person in a department has something to teach us if we are willing to listen.
How would you describe the mission of your department or programme?
For me, our mission is to help every patient achieve the best possible level of mobility, function, independence, and dignity.
We do not want to see the patient simply as someone who needs a device.
The device is only one part of their rehabilitation.
Our responsibility is to understand their needs, provide the most appropriate solution we can, support them through the process, and continue to listen after the device has been delivered.
Sometimes the first solution is not perfect.
That is part of clinical practice.
We listen to the patient, reassess, make adjustments, and continue working together until we achieve the best outcome possible.
I often remind myself and my team that our patients place a great deal of trust in us.
We should respect that trust.
Technical quality matters enormously, but kindness, patience, honesty, and respect are also part of quality care.
Section B: Learning from Experience
What has been the most important lesson you have learned as a department head or educator?
One of the most important lessons I have learned is that leadership is not about having all the answers. It is about creating an environment where people can work together to find the best answers. Earlier in my career, I thought that experience meant becoming increasingly certain about what to do. Today, I think experience also teaches you when to stop, listen, ask another colleague, and consider another point of view. I have learned a great deal from people I worked with throughout my career. Some taught me technical skills. Others taught me patience. Some showed me better ways to communicate with patients. Others showed me how to handle difficult clinical situations calmly. Even situations where we disagreed professionally helped me develop.
As a department head, I try to remember that the people working with me are not simply employees carrying out instructions. They are professionals with their own knowledge, experiences, and ideas. My role is to benefit from those strengths and help people grow.
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What mistakes or false assumptions taught you the most early in your leadership journey?
One of my early assumptions was that because I had more experience, I sometimes needed to step in and solve problems myself.
It can seem efficient at the time.
But gradually I learned that if the leader always provides the solution, the team may lose opportunities to develop its own confidence and judgment.
Today, I try to ask more questions before offering my opinion.
What do you think?
What did you observe?
What would you recommend?
Why?
Sometimes a colleague will suggest something I had not considered.
That is a good thing.
Another important lesson has been not to judge mistakes too quickly.
In healthcare, accountability is essential, but before blaming an individual, we should understand what happened.
Was the person properly trained?
Was the process clear?
Was there too much workload?
Was communication incomplete?
Could the system itself have contributed?
I prefer to ask:
What can we learn from this?
and
How can we prevent it from happening again?
A department where people are afraid to admit mistakes is not necessarily a safer department.
A department where people can discuss problems honestly, learn from them, and improve together is usually much stronger.
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What advice would you give to younger clinicians who want to move into teaching or departmental leadership?
Do not rush to become a leader.
First, spend time becoming a good clinician and a good colleague.
Work with different people.
Observe experienced practitioners.
Ask questions.
Learn not only from the people you agree with, but also from those who approach problems differently.
I would also tell younger clinicians not to assume that seniority means you stop learning.
Some of the most useful ideas I receive today come from younger members of the team who are more familiar with new technologies or who look at an old problem from a fresh perspective.
If you move into teaching, try to make students comfortable enough to ask questions.
And if you move into leadership, remember that your position does not make your opinion automatically correct.
The title gives you responsibility, not ownership of every good idea.
Stay close to your patients and your colleagues.
They will continue to teach you.
Section C: Building People and Systems
What are the biggest gaps you see in current O&P education or clinical training?
I think one of the biggest gaps is the transition between theory and real clinical decision-making.
Students can learn a great deal about prosthetic components, orthoses, materials, biomechanics, and fabrication.
But a real patient rarely presents exactly like a textbook example.
The student has to learn how to bring all that knowledge together.
What does this particular patient need?
What is realistic for them?
What are their functional goals?
What challenges exist in their daily environment?
What does the patient themselves think about the proposed solution?
We should also teach students that clinical decisions are not made in isolation.
Some of the best decisions come from discussing the case with colleagues from O&P, rehabilitation medicine, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, nursing, and other disciplines.
Learning how to collaborate is just as important as learning how to work independently.
How do you help students or junior staff move from theory to confident clinical decision-making?
I try to let them think before I speak.
When we assess a patient together, I might ask:
What do you notice?
What do you think the main problem is?
What does the patient want to achieve?
What would you recommend?
What other options are available?
I then listen to their reasoning.
Sometimes I agree.
Sometimes I suggest another approach.
And sometimes their idea makes me reconsider my own initial impression.
That is important.
Teaching should not be a one-way process.
The teacher also learns.
I have trained students and junior staff over many years, and I can say that teaching has improved my own practice because explaining why we do something forces us to examine our own assumptions.
I also try to give junior colleagues responsibility gradually.
Confidence comes from experience, but experience requires someone to give you an opportunity.
What skills do you believe are still under-taught in today’s training environment?
I would like to see greater emphasis on:
– Clinical reasoning
– Practical biomechanics
– Gait analysis
– Listening and communication
– Understanding the patient’s goals
– Problem-solving after device delivery
– Multidisciplinary teamwork
– Documentation
– Functional outcome measurement
– Quality improvement
– Technical specification writing
– Procurement and understanding value
– Service management
– Digital technologies
– 3D scanning and CAD/CAM
– Advanced manufacturing
– Responsible use of artificial intelligence
I would also add two skills that are sometimes overlooked:
Knowing when to ask for help, and knowing how to receive feedback.
Both require confidence and humility.
Section D: Future Challenges
What do you see as the biggest challenge facing O&P departments over the next five years?
Technology will continue to advance very quickly.
That is exciting, but I think our challenge will be making sure that technology continues to serve the patient rather than becoming the focus itself.
We will see more digital scanning, CAD/CAM, 3D printing, advanced materials, microprocessor-controlled components, artificial intelligence, and data-driven systems.
These technologies can improve our work enormously.
But sophisticated technology does not automatically produce a good outcome.
A very advanced prosthetic knee will not solve the patient’s problem if the socket is uncomfortable.
A digitally designed orthosis is not successful simply because it was produced using advanced software.
The final question should always be:
Did this improve the patient’s life?
That keeps us grounded.
How should educators prepare students for a future shaped by digital workflows, AI, and advanced manufacturing?
Students should learn these technologies and become comfortable using them.
But they should also understand the clinical principles underneath them.
A student should not only know which button to press in CAD software.
They should understand why they are making a modification.
They should understand anatomy, biomechanics, pressure distribution, alignment, gait, materials, and the clinical consequences of their design.
Artificial intelligence will also become part of our work.
I see it as a useful tool for supporting documentation, education, data analysis, workflow improvement, and potentially some aspects of design and decision support.
However, it should remain a tool.
Clinical responsibility still belongs to the professional.
Technology cannot fully replace listening to the patient, observing how they move, examining the skin, recognising discomfort, or understanding the personal circumstances behind a clinical decision.
What changes are needed to build stronger rehabilitation services in your country or region?
I think stronger services begin with stronger collaboration.
The patient should experience rehabilitation as one coordinated journey rather than a series of disconnected departments.
O&P professionals, rehabilitation physicians, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, nurses, administrative teams, procurement teams, and others should work toward common patient goals.
We also need continued investment in education, mentorship, workforce development, research, standardisation, digital systems, and local technical capabilities.
Another area that interests me greatly is procurement.
I believe we should continue moving toward specifications that describe the patient’s clinical and functional needs rather than focusing too heavily on particular brands or the lowest initial price.
Sometimes a product that appears cheaper initially may cost more later through maintenance, replacement, delays, or poorer functional outcomes.
But I also recognise that procurement is complex.
Clinicians, procurement teams, administrators, and suppliers all see different parts of the process.
We need to understand each other’s challenges and work together rather than blame one part of the system.
I would also like to see more regional manufacturing, research, and innovation.
There is considerable expertise in our region, and we should continue developing it.
Section E: Personal Perspective
What part of your work gives you the greatest satisfaction?
It is difficult to choose between patients and people.
Seeing a patient regain part of their independence is something that never becomes routine.
It might be someone taking their first confident steps with a prosthesis.
It might be a patient who can return to work.
It might be a person who has struggled with discomfort finally saying, “This feels better.”
Sometimes the improvement may seem small from a clinical perspective, but to that patient it may be very important.
Those moments remind us why we do this work.
I also receive great satisfaction from seeing colleagues and students develop.
When someone who once asked you for help begins making good clinical decisions independently—and later starts helping somebody else—you realise that knowledge has moved forward.
I am grateful to the colleagues who did that for me earlier in my career.
Many people shared their knowledge and experience with me, and I see mentoring younger colleagues as one way of passing that generosity forward.
What keeps you optimistic about the future of the profession?
The people entering the profession.
Young clinicians today have access to knowledge and technologies that were not available when many of us started.
They bring new ideas and different ways of thinking.
Our job as experienced practitioners is not to make them copies of ourselves.
We should share what experience has taught us, including our mistakes, and then allow them to develop their own strengths.
And we should also be willing to learn from them.
I believe the profession moves forward when generations work together rather than compete with one another.
What is one change you would most like to see in the IMEA O&P sector?
I would like to see more collaboration and knowledge-sharing across the region.
There are highly experienced clinicians, educators, technicians, researchers, and rehabilitation teams across India, the Middle East, and Africa.
We have a great deal to learn from one another.
I would like to see more structured mentorship, professional exchange, collaborative education, shared research, clearer competency standards, stronger local manufacturing, and greater access to appropriate O&P services.
Ultimately, I hope that a patient’s access to good rehabilitation becomes less dependent on where they live or what resources are available locally.
We also need to recognise the knowledge already present within our region.
I have personally benefited throughout my career from people who were willing to share their experience with me.
I believe we have a responsibility to do the same for the next generation.
Experience has greater value when it is shared.
Fast Five
Best advice ever received
Listen before you decide. This applies to patients, colleagues, students, and leadership.
One book or resource for young clinicians
I would encourage young clinicians to use resources such as the Journal of Prosthetics and Orthotics, while building strong foundations in anatomy, biomechanics, clinical assessment, and fabrication principles.
But I would also tell them that experienced colleagues are an important resource. Some lessons are difficult to learn from a book.
Watch experienced clinicians work, ask why they make certain decisions, and then develop your own judgment.
One skill every future CPO should master
Clinical reasoning.
Technology, components, and fabrication methods will change.
The ability to assess a patient, understand the problem, weigh different options, listen to other opinions, and justify a clinical decision will remain essential.
Biggest current frustration in the sector
When a patient has to wait for something that could improve their mobility or independence because of delays within the wider service pathway.
At the same time, I have learned that these delays are often not caused by one person or one department.
Healthcare systems are complex.
The better approach is to understand where the delay occurs and work together to improve the process.
One reason to stay hopeful
Because people continue to care.
I see it in patients who keep trying despite difficult circumstances.
I see it in experienced colleagues who continue to share their knowledge.
I see it in my current team when they go beyond the technical task and genuinely try to help a patient.
And I see it in young clinicians who are eager to learn and improve.
After more than twenty years in O&P, I am still learning from all of them.
That gives me a very good reason to remain hopeful.