Transfemoral amputation and prosthesis provision in Tanzania: Patient and provider perspectives

African Journal of Disability

 
 
Field Value
 
Title Transfemoral amputation and prosthesis provision in Tanzania: Patient and provider perspectives
 
Creator Urva, Mayur Donnelley, Claire A. Challa, Sravya T. Haonga, Billy T. Morshed, Saam Shearer, David W. Razani, Nooshin
 
Subject orthopedic surgery; rehabilitation transfemoral amputation; low-resource setting; prosthetic rehabilitation; barriers; qualitative; thematic analysis; caregiver; Tanzania.
Description Background: The burden of disability because of traumatic limb amputation, particularly transfemoral amputation (TFA) is disproportionately carried by low- and middle-income countries. The need for improved access to prosthesis services in these settings is well-documented, but perspectives on the burden imposed by TFA and the challenges associated with subsequent prosthesis provision vary among patients, caregivers and healthcare providers.Objectives: To examine the burden of TFA and barriers to prosthesis provision as perceived by patient, caregiver and healthcare professional, at a single tertiary referral hospital in Tanzania.Method: Data were collected from five patients with TFA and four caregivers recruited via convenience sampling, in addition to 11 purposively sampled healthcare providers. All participants participated in in-depth interviews regarding their perceptions of amputation, prostheses and underlying barriers to improving care for persons with TFA in Tanzania. A coding schema and thematic framework were established from interviews using inductive thematic analysis.Results: All participants noted financial and psychosocial burdens of amputation, and perceived prostheses as an opportunity for return to normality and independence. Patients worried about prosthesis longevity. Healthcare providers noted significant obstacles to prosthesis provision, including infrastructural and environmental barriers, limited access to prosthetic services, mismatched patient expectations and inadequate coordination of care.Conclusion: This qualitative analysis identifies factors influencing prosthesis-related care for patients with TFA in Tanzania which are lacking in the literature. Persons with TFA and their caregivers experience numerous hardships exacerbated by limited financial, social and institutional support.Contribution: This qualitative analysis informs future directions for research into improving prosthesis-related care for patients with TFA in Tanzania.
 
Publisher AOSIS
 
Contributor Wyss Foundation
Date 2023-02-14
 
Type info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion — qualitative research
Format text/html application/epub+zip text/xml application/pdf application/pdf
Identifier 10.4102/ajod.v12i0.1084
 
Source African Journal of Disability; Vol 12 (2023); 7 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/1084/2239 https://ajod.org/index.php/ajod/article/view/1084/2240 https://ajod.org/index.php/ajod/article/view/1084/2241 https://ajod.org/index.php/ajod/article/view/1084/2247 https://ajod.org/index.php/ajod/article/view/1084/2242
 
Coverage Africa; Tanzania; Dar es Salaam November 2017-January 2018 Amputees; Caregivers; Surgeons; Social Workers; Prosthetists
Rights Copyright (c) 2023 Mayur Urva, Claire A. Donnelley, Sravya T. Challa, Billy T. Haonga, Saam Morshed, David W. Shearer, Nooshin Razani https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
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