Research priorities: Establishing discipline-based education research in prosthetics and orthotics.

Background: Education research, as a field of study, is relatively new to the health professions. Research and scholarship in prosthetics and orthotics education is limited, and the priority areas and needs of individuals interested in pursuing this area of research and scholarship are unknown.

Objectives: The objectives of this study were to collaboratively identify the areas in which education research in prosthetics and orthotics is needed, to prioritize these areas, and to evaluate the resources needed to support those interested in pursuing education research.

Does Terminology Matter? Perspectives From People With Limb Difference, Clinicians, and Researchers.

Objective: To elicit the preferred terminology among people with limb difference as well as health care and/or research professionals.

Design: Cross-sectional survey.

Setting: Online.

How do users define success with a lower limb prosthesis? A focus group study.

Purpose: In this study, we sought to examine how lower limb prosthesis users define success, what constructs they associate with success, and what barriers and facilitators contribute to achieving success.

Materials And Methods: Purposively sampled lower limb prosthesis users were recruited to participate in a focus group study. Verbatim transcripts from focus groups were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis.

Advances in prosthetic technology: a perspective on ethical considerations for development and clinical translation.

Technological advancements of prostheses in recent years, such as haptic feedback, active power, and machine learning for prosthetic control, have opened new doors for improved functioning, satisfaction, and overall quality of life. However, little attention has been paid to ethical considerations surrounding the development and translation of prosthetic technologies into clinical practice. This article, based on current literature, presents perspectives surrounding ethical considerations from the authors' multidisciplinary views as prosthetists (HG, AM, CLM, MGF), as well as combined research experience working directly with people using prostheses (AM, CLM, MGF), wearable technologies for rehabilitation (MGF, BN), machine learning and artificial intelligence (BN, KKQ), and ethics of advanced technologies (KKQ).

Perceptions of prosthetic attention among lower limb prosthesis users: a focus group study.

Purpose: Use of a lower limb prosthesis generally requires increased cognitive effort to compensate for missing motor and sensory inputs. This study sought to examine how lower limb prosthesis users perceive paying attention to their prosthesis(es) in daily life.

Materials And Methods: Focus groups with lower limb prosthesis users were conducted virtually using semi-structured questions.

Prevalence of secondary prosthesis use in lower limb prosthesis users.

Purpose: Prostheses designed for daily use are often inappropriate for high-level activities and/or are susceptible to water damage and mechanical failure. Secondary prostheses, such as activity-specific or back-up prostheses, are typically required to facilitate uninterrupted participation in desired life pursuits. This study estimated the prevalence of secondary prosthesis use in a large, national sample of lower limb prosthesis users (LLPUs).

Applying systems thinking in the prosthetics and orthotics sector: investigating the common challenges in Iran.

Purpose: We sought to explore the common challenges across stakeholder groups and also to recognize interactions among them to improve the Iranian prosthetics and orthotics (P&O) sector.

Materials And Methods: Interviews were performed from January to June 2019. Participants, including 13 prosthetists/orthotists and six P&O faculty members, were selected using purposive and snowball sampling.

A survey for characterizing details of fall events experienced by lower limb prosthesis users.

Despite their importance to fall prevention research, little is known about the details of real-world fall events experienced by lower limb prosthesis users. This gap can be attributed to the lack of a structured, population-specific fall survey to document these adverse health events. The objective of this project was to develop a survey capable of characterizing the circumstances and consequences of fall events in lower limb prosthesis users.

Disparities in functional recovery after dysvascular lower limb amputation are associated with employment status and self-efficacy.

Purpose: Employment status is considered a determinant of health, yet returning to work is frequently a challenge after lower limb amputation. No studies have documented if working after lower limb amputation is associated with functional recovery. The study's purpose was to examine the influence of full-time employment on functioning after lower limb amputation.

Fall-related events in people who are lower limb prosthesis users: the lived experience.

Purpose: To explore lived experiences, and identify common themes as well as vocabulary associated with fall-related events in lower limb prosthesis (LLP) users.

Materials And Methods: Five focus groups of LLP users from across the United States were conducted remotely video or tele-conferencing. Focus group transcripts were coded and analyzed using methods adapted from a grounded theory approach to identify themes.

Global prevalence of traumatic non-fatal limb amputation.

Background: Reliable information on both global need for prosthetic services and the current prosthetist workforce is limited. Global burden of disease estimates can provide valuable insight into amputation prevalence due to traumatic causes and global prosthetists needed to treat traumatic amputations.

Objectives: This study was conducted to quantify and interpret patterns in global distribution and prevalence of traumatic limb amputation by cause, region, and age within the context of prosthetic rehabilitation, prosthetist need, and prosthetist education.

Information access and sharing among prosthetics and orthotics faculty in Ghana and the United States.

Background: Information access is essential for quality healthcare provision and education. Despite technological advances, access to prosthetics and orthotics information in low- and middle-income countries is not ubiquitous. The current state of information access, availability, and exchange among prosthetics and orthotics faculty is unknown.

A systematic review in prosthetics and orthotics education research.

Background: Formal prosthetic/orthotic education has evolved greatly since its inception in the 1950s. The International Society for Prosthetics and Orthotics has established guidelines and recognition for prosthetic/orthotic programs worldwide. However, the current state-of-the-science in prosthetic/orthotic education is largely unknown.

A conceptual framework for orthotic and prosthetic education.

Background: Variables that influence orthotic and prosthetic patient outcomes beyond direct care are poorly conceptualized for orthotic and prosthetic students. Restructuring educational curricula around important clinical reasoning variables (i.e.

Perceptions of ability among adults with upper limb absence: impacts of learning, identity, and community.

The purpose of this research was to examine the lived experiences of adults with upper limb absence, specifically the interplay of device use, ability, and quality of life through semi-structured interviews. We sought to draw insight from these experiences to improve the practice and perceptions of adults with upper limb absence, prosthetists, and technology designers. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and interpreted with phenomenological analysis for fourteen individuals with acquired or congenital limb absence.

Assessment of low- and high-level task performance in people with transtibial amputation using crossover and energy-storing prosthetic feet: A pilot study.

Background:: Crossover feet incorporate features of energy-storing feet and running-specific feet. As such, crossover feet may be suitable for both daily ambulation and participation in physically demanding activities.

Objectives:: To compare crossover feet and energy-storing feet on performance-based tests including a range of low-level (e.

Energy expenditure in people with transtibial amputation walking with crossover and energy storing prosthetic feet: A randomized within-subject study.

Background: Energy storing feet are unable to reduce the energy required for normal locomotion among people with transtibial amputation. Crossover feet, which incorporate aspects of energy storing and running specific feet, are designed to maximize energy return while providing stability for everyday activities.

Research Question: Do crossover prosthetic feet reduce the energy expenditure of walking across a range of speeds, when compared with energy storing feet among people with transtibial amputation due to non-dysvascular causes?

Methods: A randomized within-subject study was conducted with a volunteer sample of twenty-seven adults with unilateral transtibial amputation due to non-dysvascular causes.

Laboratory- and community-based health outcomes in people with transtibial amputation using crossover and energy-storing prosthetic feet: A randomized crossover trial.

Unlabelled: Contemporary prosthetic feet are generally optimized for either daily or high-level activities. Prosthesis users, therefore, often require multiple prostheses to participate in activities that span a range of mobility. Crossover feet (XF) are designed to increase the range of activities that can be performed with a single prosthesis.

An examination of current stroke rehabilitation practice in Peru: Implications for interprofessional education.

This study aimed to better understand current clinical practice of rehabilitation professionals in Lima, Peru, and to explore the existence of and potential for interprofessional collaboration. A secondary purpose was to assess rehabilitation professionals' agreement with evidence-based stroke rehabilitation statements and confidence performing stroke rehabilitation tasks prior to and following an interprofessional stroke rehabilitation training. Current clinical practice for rehabilitation professionals in Peru differs from high-income counties like the United States, as physical therapists work with dysphagia and feeding, prosthetist orthotists serve a strictly technical role, and nurses have a limited role in rehabilitation.