Reporting of Rehabilitation Outcomes in the Traumatic Lower Limb Amputation Literature: A Systematic Review

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Shashank Ghai - , Chair of Psychology of Learning and Instruction, Clusters of Excellence CeTI: Centre for Tactile Internet, Karlstad University (Author)
  • Sander L. Hitzig - , University of Toronto, Sunnybrook Health Science Centre (Author)
  • Lindsay Eberlin - , University of Toronto (Author)
  • Joshua Melo - , University of Toronto (Author)
  • Amanda L. Mayo - , Sunnybrook Health Science Centre, University of Toronto (Author)
  • Virginie Blanchette - , Integrated university health and social services center of the Capitale-Nationale, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (Author)
  • Natalie Habra - , University of Montreal, Centre intégré universitaire de santé et de services sociaux du Centre-Sud-de-l'Île-de-Montréal (Author)
  • Audrey Zucker-Levin - , University of Saskatchewan (Author)
  • Diana Zidarov - , Centre intégré universitaire de santé et de services sociaux du Centre-Sud-de-l'Île-de-Montréal, University of Montreal (Author)

Abstract

Objective: To synthesize the outcomes reported in the rehabilitation and community literature for adults with traumatic lower limb amputation (LLA). Data Sources: The search strategy was conducted in 3 databases (Medline, EMBASE, and CINAHL) from inception to April 2022. Study Selection: To be eligible, articles could be of any design but were required to have at least 50% adult individuals with traumatic LLA and had to report on interventions and outcomes in either a rehabilitation or community setting. Data Extraction: The extracted outcomes were classified using Dodd's framework, which is designed for organizing research outcomes. Heterogeneity was observed in the outcome measures (OMs) used for evaluation. Two reviewers independently conducted the data extraction, which was verified by a third reviewer. Data Synthesis: Of the 7,834 articles screened, 47 articles reporting data on 692 individuals with traumatic LLA, met our inclusion criteria. Four core areas encompassing 355 OMs/indicators were identified: life effect (63.4%), physiological/clinical (30.1%), resource use (5.1%), and adverse events (1.4%). Physical functioning (eg, gait, mobility) was the most frequently reported outcome domain across studies, followed by nervous system outcomes (eg, pain) and psychiatric outcomes (eg, depression, anxiety). Domains such as global quality of life and role/emotional functioning were seldomly reported. Conclusion: The study provides a list of outcome indicators explicitly published for adults with traumatic LLA, highlighting inconsistent reporting of outcome indicators. The lack of a standardized set of OMs is a barrier to performing meta-analyses on interventions, preventing the identification of effective care models and clinical pathways. Developing a core outcome set that includes OMs relevant to the needs of the traumatic LLA population may address these issues.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1158 - 1170
Number of pages13
Journal Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation : official journal of the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine and the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Volume105
Issue number6
Early online date12 Sept 2023
Publication statusPublished - Jun 2024
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

PubMed 37708929

Keywords

Keywords

  • Amputation, Community health, Lower extremity, Outcome assessment, Rehabilitation, Traumatic