'A whole different ball game’: the qualitative experience of older adults with a transtibial amputation and the use of a self-aligning prosthetic ankle-foot on the STEPFORWARD trial

Mitchell, N., Leggett, H., Watson, J., McDaid, C.T., Barnett, C. ORCID: 0000-0001-6898-9095, Twiste, M. and Vanicek, N., 2023. 'A whole different ball game’: the qualitative experience of older adults with a transtibial amputation and the use of a self-aligning prosthetic ankle-foot on the STEPFORWARD trial. Disability and Rehabilitation. ISSN 0963-8288

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Abstract

Background: Older patients with lower limb amputation, categorised as having “limited community mobility”, are under-researched. Understanding their experience with a new prosthetic ankle-foot is important when designing clinical trials. The aim of this qualitative study was to explore the adjustments they made after amputation and the acceptability of a self-aligning ankle-foot (SA-AF) to older adults.

Methods: Fourteen participants, who took part in the STEPFORWARD randomised controlled feasibility trial (ISRCTN15043643), were purposively recruited; nine were intervention participants and five were standard care participants. They were asked to reflect on their life prior to and consider the adjustments they made following their amputation. Participants in the intervention group were also asked about their views of the new SA-AF compared to their standard non-SA-AF. A thematic analysis was undertaken.

Results: Three broad themes were identified: The impact of the amputation; Role of clinical support; and Experiences of the SA-AF. The findings tell a narrative of the long-term impact that amputation has on these individuals’ lives. Participants randomised to receive the SA-AF were very positive about it, reporting less pain, greater mobility and being able to do more.

Conclusion: Participants who used the SA-AF found it an acceptable intervention. These findings suggest that a full-scale RCT is warranted.

Item Type: Journal article
Publication Title: Disability and Rehabilitation
Creators: Mitchell, N., Leggett, H., Watson, J., McDaid, C.T., Barnett, C., Twiste, M. and Vanicek, N.
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Date: 23 April 2023
ISSN: 0963-8288
Identifiers:
NumberType
10.1080/09638288.2023.2199222DOI
1774727Other
Rights: This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons attribution license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. The terms on which this article has been published allow the posting of the accepted Manuscript in a repository by the author(s) or with their consent.
Divisions: Schools > School of Science and Technology
Record created by: Jonathan Gallacher
Date Added: 26 Jun 2023 14:41
Last Modified: 26 Jun 2023 14:42
URI: https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/49275

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