Prosthetic use by persons with unilateral transfemoral amputation in a South African setting

Abstract

Background: Due to limitations in provision of prosthetic care in South Africa, a screening tool to select transfemoral prosthetic candidates has been implemented. Objective: To describe prosthetic services, use and mobility of people with transfemoral amputation, identified as prosthetic candidates through the Guidelines for Screening of Prosthetic Candidates: Lower Limb, and to identify variables that might influence prosthetic use and mobility. Design: Cross-sectional survey. Methods: The study population included all adults who received their first prosthesis from the Orthotic and Prosthetic Centre in the Western Cape between 1 June 2011 and 31 December 2014. Data were collected, with an adapted version of the Prosthetic Profile of the Amputee, from 43 participants, through telephonic interviews. Descriptive and inferential analysis, with the chi-square test, was done. Results: The majority of participants were older than 50 years (77%). Most participants (35; 81%) used their prosthesis; however, only 42% (18) used it daily. A significant association ( p = 0.000) was found between prosthetic rehabilitation and self-reported prosthetic walking distance. Less than half of participants received prosthetic rehabilitation and only 10 (30%) could walk 500 steps and more without resting. Conclusion: Participants used their prosthetic leg, but experienced limitations in frequency of wear and mobility. Clinical relevance Current findings showed that participants’ prosthetic mobility was curtailed. In less-resourced settings, carefully selecting prosthetic candidates may be necessary to provide access to services. Prosthetic provision is advised to be followed up with prosthetic rehabilitation for favourable mobility outcomes.

Mobility impairment and life satisfaction in the Northern Region of Malawi

“…Literature has also shown that the provision of assistive devices like prostheses and/or orthoses can have broad and multifactorial effects on improving the quality of life of persons with disability. Prostheses and orthoses were found to improve psychological, environmental and physical health quality of life in South India (Magnusson et al 2019 ) and physical activity in South Africa (Pienaar & Visagie 2019 ). Similarly, assistive devices were shown to increase employment and school attendance in Southern Africa (Eide & Øderud 2009 ) and environmental health in Indonesia (Toro, Eke & Pearlman 2016 ).…”

Evaluating the use of a thermoplastic socket in Kenya: A pilot study

“…This might have introduced bias that affected participant’s performance and prosthetic use in comparison with studies that primarily involved people with vascular-related amputations. 34 …”

Prosthesis use among individuals with lower limb amputation in Bangladesh

“…In LMICs, a study conducted in South Africa reported that 42.0% of the participants (mean age 55.2 years and 79.0% male) wore prostheses daily. 15 However, no study could be found reporting on daily usage patterns from LMICs. The difference between prosthesis utilization hours between the users of Bangladesh and HICs may be due to type of prosthesis, ease of donning and doffing, and due to sociodemographic and other contextual differences in these countries.…”

“…This review found only one study from South Africa reporting the proportion of individuals who use prostheses daily. 15 Two studies from LMICs reported the proportion of prostheses users without specifying the frequency and duration of use. 16,17 To date, no study has reported on the duration of prosthesis use per day and identify the determinants of prosthesis use in Bangladesh—a large and typical LMIC.…”