Activity, socket fit, comfort and community participation in lower limb prosthesis users: a Cambodian cohort study.
Laura Diment, RaksmeyMutta Nguon, Sovansereyrathna Seng and 9 others
PMID 35501879WHAT IT FOUND
Most participants were satisfied with their prostheses and highly active, but general comfort scores missed significant discomforts.
Activity levels did not predict community participation. People who were more active and engaged reported less satisfaction with how society perceived them.
Key findings
01A single general comfort score did not correlate with the sum of specific discomforts experienced in the previous month, suggesting it may miss key issues like heat, sweat, or pain.
02Community participation did not correlate with physical activity levels (steps per day) and only weakly correlated with hours of prosthesis wear.
03Self-reported activity using a weekly timetable and metabolic equivalent estimates correlated moderately well with objective accelerometer data, whereas a single question about hours of wear was unreliable.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The sample size was small (20 participants) and heterogeneous, so correlations should be interpreted with caution. Participants received their prostheses and services free of charge from the sponsoring organization, which may have biased satisfaction responses positively. The study added supplementary questions to the standard TAPES-r tool that have not been validated for reliability or validity. Some accelerometer data were lost due to technical errors and pandemic-related delays, reducing the final sample for activity analysis to 15.
Declared interests
The study was funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and the Royal Academy of Engineering. Participants received prostheses and services from Exceed Worldwide, a charity, which may have influenced satisfaction scores.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that a high general satisfaction or comfort score means the patient has no significant discomfort. The study found that overall comfort ratings did not correlate with specific discomforts experienced, meaning a patient might report being 'comfortable' while still suffering from heat, sweat, or pain that limits their daily life.