How do users define success with a lower limb prosthesis? A focus group study

Area of Science:

• Rehabilitation Medicine
• Prosthetics and Orthotics
• Patient-Reported Outcomes

Background:

• Defining success in lower limb prosthetics is crucial for patient-centered care.
• Existing outcome measures may not fully capture the lived experiences of prosthesis users.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore how lower limb prosthesis users define success.
• To identify constructs associated with success.
• To determine barriers and facilitators to achieving success.

Main Methods:

• Focus group study with purposively sampled lower limb prosthesis users.
• Inductive thematic analysis of focus group transcripts.
• Mapping identified constructs to existing outcome measures.

Main Results:

• Five key themes emerged: perseverance, ease of daily activities, prosthesis management, self-defined success, and mental health.
• New constructs identified include prosthetic attention, grief/loss, and trust in prosthesis.
• Facilitators include peer connection, prosthetist relationship, and mental health support.

Conclusions:

• Success with lower limb prostheses is patient-driven and individually defined.
• Success requires continuous reassessment and adaptation.
• A patient-centered approach is essential for optimizing prosthesis use.