Quantifying the unique needs of women with lower limb loss: A national, cross-sectional, survey-based needs...

Despite the increasing population of women with limb loss, data to sufficiently characterize potential gender-based differences are lacking, as scientific literature on this topic is often not specifically designed to assess the unique needs of women. Fragmentary information has indicated that women experience a variety of physical and psychological challenges that differ from those experienced by men, but this information has yet to be fully explored. This is the first exploratory needs assessment to combine population-specific physical and psychosocial assessments, as well as gap items that current measures do not capture.

In this national, cross-sectional, survey-based needs assessment, individuals with lower limb loss recruited across the Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Defense, and civilian settings completed an online survey. Responses to the survey generated a subset of quantitative scores across several physical and psychosocial domains to compare outcomes between women and men with lower limb loss. Ordered beta regression and multiple linear regression models were used to test the association of gender with scale outcomes, while controlling for additional covariates.

A total of 229 individuals (130 women, 99 men) completed the needs assessment. Results highlighted decreased levels of aesthetic and functional satisfaction, body image, and social adjustment, as well as higher levels of anxiety, in women with limb loss compared with men. There were no differences in depression, activity restriction, or healthcare needs between women and men.

An important contribution of this exploratory needs assessment was its ability to identify candidate constructs that may serve as building blocks for developing a clinically relevant patient-reported outcome measure for women with lower limb loss. Future research should build on these findings to develop and validate women-specific outcome measures, ultimately supporting limb loss care teams in providing optimal, individualized care for this underserved population.