How well do prosthetic and orthotic services
work in countries characterized by poverty and civil war? Lina
Magnusson, who became the first female Swedish prosthetist/orthotist
with a PhD, wrote her dissertation on this topic at the School of Health
Sciences, Jönköping University in Sweden.
"The supply of prosthetic and orthotic devices are affected by
poverty and by cultural issues, such as attitudes towards people with
disabilities. In order to improve services in developing countries, we
need to identify obstacles and also factors that would facilitate the
supply of prosthetic and orthotic devices. That's what I have done in my
dissertation," says Lina Magnusson.
Lina conducted her studies in Malawi, Sierra Leone and Pakistan. The results show that patients were generally able to walk on level ground but more than half had difficulties walking on uneven ground, climbing stairs and going up or down hills. Patients in Malawi were more satisfied with the prosthetic and orthotic services provided than patients in Sierra Leone. In Sierra Leone, men were more satisfied than women in how the device affected their personal mobility and in their experience of the service.
"After having gone through the statistics available and reviewing handwritten patient records, I would estimate that approximately 20-25 percent of those who need prosthetic and orthotic services in Malawi and Sierra Leone have access to it. Of those, the majority of patients were using their prostheses or orthotic devices, although about half of the devices were broken and in need of repair. More than one third of patients also reported pain and wounds when they used their device," says Lina Magnusson.
Lina Magnusson's dissertation also shows that those working with provision of prostheses and orthoses experienced an inability to deliver high quality service. One obstacle is the government's ignorance and failure to prioritize rehabilitation services. The results also indicate that training for prosthetists/orthotists and prosthetic and orthotic technicians must be improved. The majority of developing countries, including Sierra Leone and Malawi, offer no formal prosthetic and orthotic education. The result of this is a shortage of trained personnel.
A link to the dissertation can be found at: http://hj.diva-portal.org/smash/record.jsf?pid=diva2%3A754830&dswid=-864
Lina conducted her studies in Malawi, Sierra Leone and Pakistan. The results show that patients were generally able to walk on level ground but more than half had difficulties walking on uneven ground, climbing stairs and going up or down hills. Patients in Malawi were more satisfied with the prosthetic and orthotic services provided than patients in Sierra Leone. In Sierra Leone, men were more satisfied than women in how the device affected their personal mobility and in their experience of the service.
"After having gone through the statistics available and reviewing handwritten patient records, I would estimate that approximately 20-25 percent of those who need prosthetic and orthotic services in Malawi and Sierra Leone have access to it. Of those, the majority of patients were using their prostheses or orthotic devices, although about half of the devices were broken and in need of repair. More than one third of patients also reported pain and wounds when they used their device," says Lina Magnusson.
Lina Magnusson's dissertation also shows that those working with provision of prostheses and orthoses experienced an inability to deliver high quality service. One obstacle is the government's ignorance and failure to prioritize rehabilitation services. The results also indicate that training for prosthetists/orthotists and prosthetic and orthotic technicians must be improved. The majority of developing countries, including Sierra Leone and Malawi, offer no formal prosthetic and orthotic education. The result of this is a shortage of trained personnel.
A link to the dissertation can be found at: http://hj.diva-portal.org/smash/record.jsf?pid=diva2%3A754830&dswid=-864
Story Source:
The above story is based on materials provided by Expertsvar. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.
The above story is based on materials provided by Expertsvar. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.
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Expertsvar.
"Prosthetic, orthotic service in developing countries examined."
ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 11 November 2014.
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