Gender differences in prosthesis-related outcomes among veterans: Results of a national survey of U.S. veterans.
Patty B Kuo, Keren Lehavot, Rachel M Thomas and 8 others
PMID 37343123WHAT IT FOUND
Women veterans reported slightly lower self-reported mobility than men, but satisfaction with their prosthesis, fit, and service quality did not differ significantly.
Women were also less likely to use their prescribed prosthesis in the past year. These findings suggest comparable care experiences despite mobility differences.
Key findings
01Women veterans had significantly lower self-reported mobility scores (2.23 T-score points lower) than men after adjusting for age, race, amputation cause, and type.
02There were no statistically significant gender differences in satisfaction with prosthetic services, prosthesis fit, prosthesis satisfaction, or hours walking on the prosthesis.
03A smaller proportion of women (80.0%) than men (87.0%) reported using their prosthesis in the last 12 months.
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
Selection bias is likely, as participants were more likely to have recent amputations, be aged 46-65, and be less likely to be Hispanic or Black compared to nonresponders. The response rate was 33.5%. Outcomes were based on self-report, which may not capture objective mobility or actual prosthetic usage patterns accurately. The study did not assess where veterans accessed their care (VA vs. community providers), which could influence experiences and outcomes. The survey measures may not have fully captured unique gender-specific experiences or barriers to prosthetic use. The study did not collect data on why women veterans did not use their prostheses, limiting understanding of the 7% difference in usage rates. Recruitment was not frequency matched by age, which may have affected demographic distributions.
Declared interests
The text does not explicitly state funding sources or conflicts of interest in the provided sentences.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that women veterans have worse prosthetic care experiences overall. The only significant difference was in self-reported mobility scores, which were only slightly lower. Satisfaction with services, fit, and device quality did not differ significantly between genders. The lower rate of prosthesis use in women is a distinct finding that requires separate investigation into barriers, rather than being attributed to dissatisfaction with care.