Patient engagement in cosmetic designing of prostheses: current practice and potential outcome benefits.
Szu-Ping Lee, Cailin Mitchell, Kenneth Repayo and 4 others
PMID 35344529WHAT IT FOUND
Most prosthetists offer cosmetic design choices, and patients who are given these options report feeling more empowered by their prosthesis.
This empowerment correlates with higher satisfaction and more consistent wear time, suggesting that involving patients in aesthetic decisions supports engagement with the device.
Key findings
0182.7% of surveyed prosthetists typically offer at least one cosmetic design option to their patients.
02Patients who were offered cosmetic design options placed significantly higher importance on the look of their prosthesis compared to those who were not offered options.
03Satisfaction with the look of the prosthesis was significantly correlated with the patient's feeling that the device empowers them, which in turn correlated with comfort wearing time and motivation to wear it daily.
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 of prosthesis users was small (n=28), limiting the generalizability of the findings. The study was cross-sectional, so it shows correlation but cannot prove that offering cosmetic options causes increased wear time or empowerment. The surveys were distributed regionally and via convenience sampling, which may introduce selection bias. The prosthesis user group included both upper and lower limb amputees, though the focus was on lower limb loss, potentially mixing different functional challenges.
Declared interests
The authors disclosed no financial support and no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that providing cosmetic options directly causes better functional outcomes or increased wear time. The study shows associations in a small, cross-sectional sample; it does not prove that changing a patient's prosthesis appearance will independently fix low motivation or usage issues.