Return-To-Work Status And Quality Of Life Of Persons With Lower Limb Amputation In South India
Aim: The constraints brought forth by amputation cause immense impairments in the realms of physical, social, and psychological functioning of individuals. The exact estimates of the number of persons with amputation in India are unknown. Past studies report that the incidence of amputation is 0.62/1000 individuals in India, which is nearly 1 million of its population. Lower limb amputation impacts Return-to-Work status. Prosthetic training offered to individuals with lower limb amputation could empower them to get back to work, thus refining their Quality of Life. The aim of this study is to determine the Return-to-Work status and Quality of Life of persons with lower limb amputation after prosthetic training.
Method: This cross-sectional observational study recruited eighty-four participants who underwent prosthetic training after lower limb amputation from a tertiary care hospital in South India. Demographic and clinical characteristics were obtained using a self-designed data form through a telephone survey. Quality of Life was measured using WHOQOL-BREF. Data analysis was done using chi square tests and t-tests.
Results: In our study, we found that 60.7% of our participants returned to work. Prosthetic use (p value = 0.016) and independence with transfers (p value = 0.007) are significant factors that facilitated positive Return-to-Work. Psychosocial characteristics such as self-motivation (p value = 0.001), social support (p value= 0.001) and family support (p value = 0.017) have enabled individuals to get back to work. Quality of Life among individuals who returned to work was found to be significantly higher than the persons who have not returned to work in all domains (p value < 0.01).
Conclusion : Prosthetic training has enabled persons with lower limb amputation to get back to their work. Daily use of prosthesis coupled with socket comfort, has facilitated positive Return-to-Work, thereby improving their Quality of Life.
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