Experiences of Accessing Physical Rehabilitation Services and Assistive Products Among Orthosis and Wheelchair Users: Qualitative Study.
Charlotte Spurway, Andrew Power, Maggie Donovan-Hall and 1 others
Orthoses and wheelchairs improved mobility and independence for these Cambodian users, but pain (more often reported by women), long repair waits, and stigma meant the devices did not fully solve their daily problems.
A qualitative account of 17 people's experiences, not an efficacy trial.
Key findings
1Assistive products improved mobility, independence, and psychosocial well-being, but did not fully remove the environmental, social, and attitudinal barriers these users faced in daily life.
2Female orthosis users reported pain and discomfort more frequently than male users; some described their orthoses as bulky, heavy, and causing blisters on the lower limbs.
3Many participants experienced delays in repairs or replacements of their devices; one used the same orthosis for over 10 years, far beyond the typical expected life span of 2 to 3 years.
Still to come
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
All 17 participants were current or former users of one organisation's (Exceed) clinic in Phnom Penh, so the findings reflect a single provider's service model and cannot be generalised to other settings or countries. The sample was small and recruited by convenience sampling, so the range of experiences captured is limited. The interviewer did not speak Khmer and relied on a translator who was a native speaker without formal training in professional interpretation; the authors acknowledge that some loss of meaning or nuance may have occurred. No Cambodian researchers were on the author team, and the authors note this may have shaped how meaning was interpreted and themes developed. The study is qualitative and interpretivist; the findings are the researchers' interpretations of translated participant accounts, not objective measurements. The interviewer was an external researcher from a high-income country, which the authors acknowledge may have shaped participant responses.
Declared interests
No conflicts of interest were declared. The study was conducted in partnership with Exceed, an international NGO that provided the rehabilitation services, and was part of a PhD project at the University of Southampton. No commercial funder is named.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the finding that women reported more pain and discomfort than men as a generalisable effect on orthotic fitting. It is a theme drawn from 17 participants (12 women, 5 men) in one Cambodian clinic, not a measured outcome, and the small, convenience-sampled group means it cannot be taken as evidence about how any population will experience an orthosis.
Summarised by AI from the full paper, without a clinician reviewing it. Check it against the source before it changes what you do. Read it on PubMed →