The influence of environment: Experiences of users of myoelectric arm prosthesis-a qualitative study.
Cathrine Widehammar, Ingvor Pettersson, Gunnel Janeslätt and 1 others
PMID 28470129WHAT IT FOUND
Daily users felt the myoelectric arm was part of their body and used it despite limitations.
Non-daily users said it never became part of them and found function and appearance harder barriers. Support, training, and confidence were described as relevant.
Key findings
01Daily users described the prosthesis as part of their body, while non-daily users said it never became part of them, and this difference shaped how they experienced environmental barriers and facilitators.
02All daily users described support from family or social networks, while participants who lacked local support to learn prosthesis control said they stopped using it or did not become daily users.
03All participants reported limitations in prosthesis function, but daily users reported the most limitations and still used it, while non-daily users said function and appearance were the greatest barriers.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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 study interviewed 13 people in one Swedish prosthetics center, so it describes their experiences rather than testing how common they are in other settings. Only people with a myoelectric prosthetic hand were included, so the findings may not apply to users of body-powered prostheses. Every participant with acquired amputation was a man, and no women with acquired amputation accepted the invitation, so that experience was not represented. Three interviews were done by phone, so body language and some follow-up cues were missing.
Declared interests
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest. The research was funded by Uppsala-Örebro Regional Research Council and the Research committee of Örebro County Council, Sweden.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the difference between daily and non-daily users as proof that support and training caused daily use. This qualitative study asked 13 people to describe their experiences, not to test whether support changed use.