Article

To assess the needs of lower-limb amputees and identify differences between
diabetic dysvascular amputees and traumatic amputees, we held a multistakeholder
focus-group workshop whose participants included veteran lower-limb amputees,
clinicians, researchers, and prosthetic device manufacturers. We conducted the
initial workshop sessions as traditional focus-group meetings with homogeneous
participant groups generating lists of issues relevant to the individual groups.
Subsequent sessions assembled heterogeneous participant groups for a two-phase
approach: Discovery and Codesign. The Discovery phase used observation and
discussion to elicit specific needs. The Codesign phase focused on emergent
topics and explored potential solutions. The participants identified needs
associated with desired improvements to the socket system, foot and ankle
components, and alignment with the residual limb. One need was a comprehensive
understanding of the recovery path following amputation that could be addressed
through enhanced education and communication. Another need was remote monitoring
systems that could potentially improve quality of care. No dichotomy of needs
between diabetic dysvascular amputees and traumatic amputees was evident among
the participants of this workshop. The lively, open-ended discussions produced
numerous suggestions for improving amputee quality of life that are listed to
facilitate future research and development.

Langue : ANGLAIS