The status and use of prosthetic devices by persons with lower limb amputation in Rwanda

African Journal of Disability

 
 
Field Value
 
Title The status and use of prosthetic devices by persons with lower limb amputation in Rwanda
 
Creator Ngarambe, Robert Sagahutu, Jean Baptiste Nuhu, Assuman Tumusiime, David K.
 
Subject Health, Rehabilitation admitted; experiences; family members; relative; state patient; qualitative.
Description Background: Amputation is one of the leading causes of disabilities because of reduced mobility. Without assistive devices specifically prostheses, the quality of life of persons with lower limb amputation (PLLA) further deteriorates. Therefore, prostheses are fundamental to improving their quality of life.Objectives: This study aimed to establish the number of PLLA with or without prosthesis and to determine their socio-economic profile in Rwanda.Method: A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted in all sectors of Rwanda. As a result of coronavirus disease 2019 movement restrictions, data collection was carried out through telephone calls with participants to complete the questionnaires. Descriptive, inferential statistics and chi-square test were performed to analyse data using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) 21.0.Results: Of the 3026 participants identified countrywide, 68.8% were males and 60.3% of them did not have any prosthesis (p = 0.003). The majority (62.4%) of those who had prosthetic devices needed repair of their prostheses while 14.8% of participants reported that their prosthetic devices were completely broken and/or damaged (p = 0.604). Among the participants, 63.7% had no source of income and 66.7% had dependents (p ≤ 0.001).Conclusion: The majority of the PLLA in Rwanda did not have prosthetic devices and even those with prostheses did not fully function and thus required repair. Therefore, it adversely affects their livelihood.Contribution: The government should collaborate with stakeholders working with persons with disabilities and implement mechanisms and/or strategies to make prosthetic devices accessible and affordable.
 
Publisher AOSIS
 
Contributor research assistants, local Authorities
Date 2022-12-09
 
Type info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion — survey
Format text/html application/epub+zip text/xml application/pdf
Identifier 10.4102/ajod.v11i0.1081
 
Source African Journal of Disability; Vol 11 (2022); 8 pages 2226-7220 2223-9170
 
Language eng
 
Relation
The following web links (URLs) may trigger a file download or direct you to an alternative webpage to gain access to a publication file format of the published article:

https://ajod.org/index.php/ajod/article/view/1081/2099 https://ajod.org/index.php/ajod/article/view/1081/2100 https://ajod.org/index.php/ajod/article/view/1081/2101 https://ajod.org/index.php/ajod/article/view/1081/2102
 
Coverage Africa — persons with lower limb amputation
Rights Copyright (c) 2022 Robert Ngarambe, Jean Baptiste Sagahutu, Assuman Nuhu, David K. Tumusiime https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
ADVERTISEMENT