Article

People with lower-limb amputations are routinely fitted with an artificial limb. Good communication with prosthetists is vital in meeting
patients' needs in this process. The present study aimed to identify the salient
issues surrounding problematic interaction between patients and prosthetists from
the point of view of patients. METHOD: Three on-line discussion groups for people
with lower-limb amputations were searched for all posts which discussed such
issues. A total of 527 electronic messages comprised the data set, from 155
authors. All data served as the basis for analysis. RESULTS: A
phenomenologically-informed thematic analysis identified three themes: 'Becoming
a prosthesis user: Not knowing what to expect'; 'Unmet expectations: Trying to
get the prosthetist to do something'; and 'Working with your prosthetist: The
need to communicate well'. The presented results are illustrated with posts from
25 participants. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate the need to improve
communication between prosthetists and patients, including that prosthetists
should strive to share more information, to communicate in more understandable
language and to provide more opportunities for patients to make choices in the
prosthesis prescription process.

Langue : ANGLAIS