TY - JOUR
T1 - Assessing the prosthetic needs of farmers and ranchers with amputations
AU - Waldera, Kathryn E.
AU - Heckathorne, Craig W.
AU - Parker, Margaret
AU - Fatone, Stefania
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors report no conflicts of interest. This research was funded by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) of the U.S. Department of Education under Grant No. H133E080009 (Principle Investigators: Steven Gard and Stefania Fatone). The opinions contained in this publication are those of the grantee and do not necessarily reflect those of the Department of Education.
PY - 2013/5
Y1 - 2013/5
N2 - Purpose: Farmers and ranchers experience disabling injuries each year of which amputations account for 11%. Anecdotal evidence suggests that current prostheses may not be meeting the needs of farmers and ranchers with amputations. To better understand those prosthetic needs, a descriptive qualitative study was used to gather data with an engineering perspective. Method: Farmers with an upper- or lower-limb amputation were interviewed. Issues explored included current and past prostheses used, prosthetic failures, and ability to complete farm tasks using a prosthesis. Prosthetists providing services to this population were also interviewed to gain knowledge of specific devices and practises used in their geographic region. Results: Interviews with 40 farmers and 26 prosthetists revealed several common themes related to prostheses including durability/utility, environment, adaptation, cost, and education. Farmers and ranchers with amputations often made modifications to their prostheses, farm equipment, and daily routines in order to return to their vocation. Conclusions: Farmers and ranchers with amputations have distinct prosthetic needs. Their return to farming can be facilitated by creating more durable, affordable, and adaptable prosthetic components. Our results can help guide design of more comprehensive surveys for further information gathering and new devices and establish best prosthetic practises for farmers and those in other physically demanding professions.
AB - Purpose: Farmers and ranchers experience disabling injuries each year of which amputations account for 11%. Anecdotal evidence suggests that current prostheses may not be meeting the needs of farmers and ranchers with amputations. To better understand those prosthetic needs, a descriptive qualitative study was used to gather data with an engineering perspective. Method: Farmers with an upper- or lower-limb amputation were interviewed. Issues explored included current and past prostheses used, prosthetic failures, and ability to complete farm tasks using a prosthesis. Prosthetists providing services to this population were also interviewed to gain knowledge of specific devices and practises used in their geographic region. Results: Interviews with 40 farmers and 26 prosthetists revealed several common themes related to prostheses including durability/utility, environment, adaptation, cost, and education. Farmers and ranchers with amputations often made modifications to their prostheses, farm equipment, and daily routines in order to return to their vocation. Conclusions: Farmers and ranchers with amputations have distinct prosthetic needs. Their return to farming can be facilitated by creating more durable, affordable, and adaptable prosthetic components. Our results can help guide design of more comprehensive surveys for further information gathering and new devices and establish best prosthetic practises for farmers and those in other physically demanding professions.
KW - Agricultural injury
KW - Amputation
KW - Engineering
KW - Farmer
KW - Prosthesis
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U2 - 10.3109/17483107.2012.699994
DO - 10.3109/17483107.2012.699994
M3 - Article
C2 - 22779443
AN - SCOPUS:84875945235
VL - 8
SP - 204
EP - 212
JO - Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology
JF - Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology
SN - 1748-3115
IS - 3
ER -