title: Patient satisfaction following lower-limb amputation: the role of gait deviation.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Patient satisfaction is an important measurement in healthcare for administrators, clinicians and patients.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study investigated the role of gait deviation in patient satisfaction following lower-limb amputation and prosthesis prescription.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional study was done.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty community-based unilateral lower-limb amputees, 12 transtibial and 8 transfemoral, were recruited from support groups. Participants completed the prosthesis evaluation questionnaire (PEQ) with embedded satisfaction-related questions, the timed-up-and-go test and the six-minute walk test, and also underwent quantitative three-dimensional analysis. Kinematic deviation was summarized using the gait profile score (GPS).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Satisfaction levels were generally high (median 80 + /100). Sociodemographic variables did not correlate significantly with any of the satisfaction measures (-0.35 ≤ r ≤ 0.54). Satisfaction correlated strongly with the PEQ scales, particularly ambulation, prosthetic utility, frustration, perceived response and social burden (r ≥ 0.70). By contrast, the relationships between satisfaction and performance-based outcome measures were not significant (-0.45 ≤ r ≤ 0.43), and the GPS did not correlate with any satisfaction measures (-0.23 ≤ r ≤ 0.15).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this study of high functioning amputees, gait deviation was unimportant to the amputee, while self-reported functional ability and attitudes toward the prosthesis were the strongest correlates of satisfaction following lower-limb amputation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  For the high functioning individuals with lower-limb amputation in this study, gait deviation was not a significant correlate of patient satisfaction. RESULTS suggest that improving self-perceived functional ability and attitudes toward the prosthesis, rather than minimizing gait deviation, will improve patient satisfaction.
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Lauren
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kark
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Simmons
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D000674:Amputees / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D001186:Artificial Limbs; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005269:Femur / Q000601:surgery; D005684:Gait / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007866:Leg / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D057566:Self Report; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013977:Tibia / Q000601:surgery