Article

Objective: To increase knowledge of health services utilization and related
factors in adult acquired major upper-limb amputees.
Design: Population-based
cross-sectional study conducted in Norway. Subjects:
Twohundred and twentyfour
adult acquired major upper-limb amputees (57.4% response rate). Mean age was 53.7
years, 83.5% were men and mean post-amputation time was 24.0 years. Methods: Data
were collected by postal questionnaires. Amputation-related health services
utilization, perceived benefit and unmet needs were reported and associations
between these factors and background factors were estimated by multivariate
logistic regression analyses. Results: Reported health services utilization was
relatively low. The reported benefit of utilized services was generally high. For
several non-utilized services, considerable unmet needs for utilization were
reported. Several background factors were significantly associated with different
aspects of the services examined. A considerable discrepancy between reported
pain and utilization of specified pain treatments was noted. Conclusion: The
findings of this study suggest that several health services available to acquired
major upper-limb amputees should be strengthened. Establishing routines to ensure
access to optimal, individualized rehabilitation may prevent disability. We
recommend additional, longitudinal studies to further assess the need for mental
health care and pain treatment in acquired major upper-limb amputees.

Langue : ANGLAIS