Largest Amputee Study to Date: Quality of Life Data

In a retrospective study of 550 amputees, the largest such study to date, researchers from Hanger Clinic, based in Austin, Texas, have advanced evidence-based care for amputees. The results of their study in lower limb amputees, known as the Mobility Analysis of Amputees (MAAT I), measured the correlation of mobility to quality of life and patient satisfaction for people living with lower limb loss. The result? They discovered a significant direct correlation.

The study, “Mobility Analysis of AmpuTees (MAAT I): Quality of life and satisfaction are strongly related to mobility for patients with a lower limb prosthesis,” appears in the October 8, 2017 edition of Prosthetics and Orthotics International.

As Hanger wrote in its October 10, 2017 news release, “Colleagues in the clinical and scientific affairs department of Hanger Clinic, including James Campbell, Ph.D., C.O., F.A.A.O.P., Shane R. Wurdeman, Ph.D., C.P., F.A.A.O.P., and Phil M. Stevens, M.Ed., C.P.O., F.A.A.O.P., began the study by performing a retrospective review of outcomes data collected within multiple clinics. Included with the data obtained was the Prosthetic Limb Users Survey of Mobility and Prosthesis Evaluation Questionnaire. Analysis included 509 current prosthetic users, individuals age 18 or older, with varying amputation levels, including both unilateral and bilateral lower limb amputation.”

James Campbell, Ph.D., C.O., F.A.A.O.P., chief clinical officer of Hanger Clinic, told OTW, “Restoration of mobility is considered a primary objective of rehabilitation following lower limb amputation, however studies investigating the relationship between mobility and both satisfaction and quality of life have been limited. The purpose of this study was to examine the direct relationship between lower limb prosthesis users’ mobility and both satisfaction and quality of life.”

“Regarding study design and data collection, an obvious strength of this study was the high number of patients. A retrospective review of 550 patients utilizing a lower limb prosthesis was performed across multiple clinics that provide lower limb prosthetic care. Following removal of incomplete data sets and patients that did not meet inclusion/exclusion criteria, there were 509 patients included for analysis.”

“The results of the study confirm the positive relationships between both constructs (i.e., general satisfaction and quality of life) and patient mobility. Specifically, mobility accounts for approximately one quarter of the variance associated with quality of life and general satisfaction (26.1% and 22.6%, respectively). This study provides evidence that mobility is positively related to both considerations. Thus, in the holistic care of a patient with lower limb loss, maximizing mobility should be considered a primary goal.”