The Return-to-Work experience of lower extremity amputees provided with prostheses at UERMMMCI CTC-PO / The Health Sciences Journal

INTRODUCTION@#Since there are limited studies about the return-to-work experiences of Filipino amputees, this study will be able to contribute to studies that delve deeper into the lower extremity amputees’ experiences and put into light the factors that may be present in relation to their return to work.@*METHODS@#This study utilized a qualitative phenomenological design. Participants who were willing to join the study were all gathered for a focus group discussion conducted by a hired interviewer. The researchers adapted Colaizzi’s descriptive phenomenological method for analyzing the data.@*RESULTS@#Factors that allowed amputees to have a successful return to work experience were motivation to continue with life, positive impact of lower extremity prosthesis, and rehabilitation. Factors that hindered the successful return to work of amputees were social barriers, work environment, negative self-image, discrimination from the community, and ft of prosthesis.@*CONCLUSION@#Employment was possible after amputation among amputees who were provided with prosthesis at UERMMMCI, since most of the respondents of this study were employed. Positive and negative factors that infuenced their return to work were also identifed. Non-compliance to rehabilitation limited the usage of prosthesis resulting in not being able to return to work.

Prosthetic usage among the Thai lower limb amputees.

Objective: To study the percentage of prosthetic usage and factors associated with prosthetic usage among lower limb amputees in Thailand. Methods: The postal survey with a questionnaire was sent to 1,300 amputees who received lower limb prostheses between 2001 and 2005. The participants were divided into two groups, namely, the prosthetic usage and prosthetic non-usage groups. A Chi-Square and an Independent Sample T test were used to compare the differences between the two groups. The multiple variables analysis by stepwise logistic regression was used to determine the associated factors. Results: Three hundred and nineteen questionnaires were completed among three hundred and twenty one returned questionnaires. The percentage of amputees who used a prosthesis over 5 hours per day was 82.1%. Demographically, the prosthetic usage group had less diabetes mellitus (p =0.010), were younger at the time of amputation (p <0.001), and had a currently employed status (p <0.001) than the non-prosthetic usage group. (You have not stated what you are comparing this group to!) In Amputation related factors the transtibial amputees were more likely to use prostheses (p <0.001). The factors associated with prosthetic usage were experiencing satisfactory to good wearing comfort (OR 12.83), a transtibial level of amputation (OR 9.65), having a currently employed status (OR 5.12), undergoing particular etiologies of amputation such as congenital problem or blast injury (OR 2.78) and being young at time of amputation (OR 0.95), respectively. Conclusion: The percentage of prosthetic usage among the Thai lower limb amputees was 82.1%. The factors associated with the prosthetic usage were wearing comfort, level of amputation, having a currently employed status and being of younger age at the time of amputation.