Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
Disabil Rehabil. 2022 Jun;44(13):3236-3244. doi: 10.1080/09638288.2020.1851400. Epub 2020 Dec 5.
The Prosthetic Limb Users Survey of Mobility (PLUS-M) is a self-report item bank designed to measure the abilities with which people with lower limb amputation perform physical activities. Although PLUS-M includes items that span a range of mobility, additional items are needed to accurately measure mobility of highly active prosthesis users, such as athletes and service members with lower limb amputation. The aim of this study was to understand mobility in highly active lower limb prosthesis users to inform the development of new items for the PLUS-M item bank.
Focus groups were conducted with active, lower limb prosthesis users from across the USA. In-person and online focus groups were conducted by a trained facilitator using a semi-structured guide. Focus group transcripts were reviewed and coded by two researchers. Thematic analysis was used to identify important experiences across participants.
Twenty-nine participants took part in four focus groups. Three resultant themes were identified: mobility after amputation, mobility characteristics, and healthcare providers and systems.
Identified themes inform clinician and researcher understanding of mobility in highly active lower limb prosthesis users. The results of this study will be used to inform development of high-activity items for the PLUS-M item bank.Implications for rehabilitationParticipants described engagement in high-level activities as a learning process that included elements such as equipment challenges and modifications, pain and injury, and the need to trust the prosthetic limb.Participants with lower limb amputation who use prostheses identified mobility characteristics, such as postural changes, terrain, and obstacles, that influenced their ability to perform high-level activities.High-level mobility characteristics identified in these focus groups can be integrated into a revised version of the Prosthetic Limb Users Survey of Mobility to assess mobility in active adults and athletes with amputation.Rehabilitation professionals play an important role in facilitating access to specialized prosthetic components and training that can help patients achieve their mobility goals and potential.
假肢使用者移动能力调查（PLUS-M）是一个自我报告项目库，旨在衡量下肢截肢者进行身体活动的能力。尽管 PLUS-M 包括涵盖各种活动能力的项目，但还需要额外的项目来准确测量活跃的假肢使用者的活动能力，例如运动员和下肢截肢的军人。本研究的目的是了解活跃的下肢假肢使用者的活动能力，为 PLUS-M 项目库开发新的项目提供信息。
对来自美国各地的活跃下肢假肢使用者进行了焦点小组讨论。由一名经过培训的主持人使用半结构化指南进行了现场和在线焦点小组讨论。两名研究人员对焦点小组的记录进行了审查和编码。使用主题分析来确定参与者的重要经验。
29 名参与者参加了四个焦点小组。确定了三个主题：截肢后的活动能力、活动能力特征和医疗保健提供者和系统。
确定的主题为临床医生和研究人员了解活跃的下肢假肢使用者的活动能力提供了信息。本研究的结果将用于为 PLUS-M 项目库开发高活动项目提供信息。
参与者描述了将高水平活动作为一个学习过程，其中包括设备挑战和修改、疼痛和伤害以及对假肢的信任等因素。使用假肢的下肢截肢者确定了影响他们执行高水平活动的活动能力特征，例如姿势变化、地形和障碍物。在这些焦点小组中确定的高水平活动能力特征可以整合到修订版的假肢使用者移动能力调查中，以评估活跃的成年人和截肢运动员的活动能力。康复专业人员在促进获得专门的假肢组件和培训方面发挥着重要作用，这有助于患者实现他们的活动能力目标和潜力。
