Elastomeric liners for people with transtibial amputation: Survey of prosthetists' clinical practices.
Brian J Hafner, John C Cagle, Katheryn J Allyn and 1 others
PMID 27613589WHAT IT FOUND
Prosthetists rely heavily on manufacturer information when selecting liners, citing durability, comfort, and suspension as key factors.
Despite dozens of available products, they routinely use only two or three. This suggests a preference for familiar options over exploring newer alternatives or evidence-based comparisons.
Key findings
0194% of respondents obtained liner information from manufacturers, compared to 33% from scientific journals.
02Durability (91%), comfort (87%), and suspension features (78%) were the most commonly endorsed characteristics in liner selection.
03Prosthetists reported having used 16 of 71 liners but routinely used only 2–3 unique products.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they found
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The sample size (106) was small relative to the total number of prosthetists in North America. Recruitment through clinical magazines and listservs may have biased the sample toward practitioners who actively seek professional development information. The survey was not psychometrically validated. Results may not apply to prosthetists outside North America due to differences in healthcare and reimbursement systems.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the low use of scientific journals as evidence that prosthetists ignore evidence. The survey reflects information sources, not necessarily the quality of clinical decisions, and the sample may not represent all prosthetists.