Functional abilities and desires for a bionic prosthesis in children with unilateral congenital below-elbow...

Area of Science:

• Pediatric rehabilitation
• Prosthetics and orthotics
• Child development

Background:

• Understanding functional abilities and challenges in children with unilateral congenital below-elbow deficiency is crucial for developing effective bionic prostheses.
• Identifying desired functional improvements can guide the design and prescription of bionic prosthetic devices.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the functional abilities of children with unilateral congenital below-elbow deficiency.
• To identify the specific functional desires of these children for bionic prosthetic assistance.

Main Methods:

• A preliminary, retrospective, cross-sectional, observational single-centre study.
• Involved eight children (7 girls, 1 boy) with a median age of 10.6 years.
• Utilized the Disabilities of the Arm Shoulder and Hand Questionnaire and the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure.

Main Results:

• Children demonstrated ability in most daily living activities but struggled with bimanual tasks, particularly those related to schoolwork.
• Children identified 35 activities for bionic prosthesis assistance: 15 leisure/sports, 5 productivity, and 15 self-care.
• Desire for prosthetic assistance was highest for self-care, followed by leisure/sports activities.

Conclusions:

• Children with unilateral congenital below-elbow deficiency can manage many daily, sports, and leisure activities without a prosthesis.
• There is a significant desire among these children to enhance their performance in specific activities using bionic prostheses.
• Personal care, sports, and leisure activities are particularly important areas where children seek bionic prosthetic support.