What do users and their aiding professionals want from future devices in upper limb prosthetics? A focus group study

Abstract

Background High rejection rates of upper limb prosthetics indicate that current prosthetic devices only partially meet user demands. This study therefore investigated the benefits and challenges with current prostheses, associated services and potential areas for improvement from the perspective of upper limb prosthesis users and various professionals working in the field of upper limb and hand prosthetics. Methods and findings Seven different focus group discussions were conducted with 32 participants. Participants were grouped by prosthesis type, if they were prosthesis users, or professionals. All focus group discussions were transcribed verbatim, and a summarizing content analysis was performed. Three main topic areas to be addressed emerged from the interviews: 1. a properly functioning prosthesis, 2. the infrastructure, and 3. users’ psychological and physical prerequisites. The interaction between a well-functioning prosthesis and a well-developed infrastructure was shown to be important for successful use. Conclusions Our study raises many of the same issues that have been reported in previous qualitative studies, dating back over several decades. This study underlines the need to include users and professionals in the future development of prosthetic devices.