Upper-limb prosthetic requirements from the healthcare providers, end-users and relatives' perspectives.

Abstract

Background: Upper-limb amputation negatively impacts people's quality of life because replicating the hand anatomy and its multiple functions is complex. This difficulty has caused prosthesis rejection rates to be as high as 50%, mainly due to a lack of function, comfort, and control.

Purpose: This study aimed to define upper-limb prosthesis design requirements from the perspectives of health providers, end-users, and close relatives.

Methods: Semistructured interviews were conducted with three types of stakeholders: 11 healthcare providers, 10 end-users with unilateral upper-limb amputation, and 10 close relatives. The questions included characteristics for prosthetic design and the capability to conduct activities of daily living (ADL) with different types of prostheses. This study forms part of a project focused on the design of a myoelectric upper limb prosthesis. The presented information pertains to the needs definition stage of the Design Thinking process, specifically, the Data, Information, Knowledge, and Wisdom scheme, aiming to outline the gathered insights and key findings descriptively.

Results: The three groups agreed that the most critical characteristic of a prosthesis was comfort, followed by maintenance and low weight. Cost was the requirement with the most remarkable difference in perception among stakeholders. Differences in the perception of the capability of conducting activities of daily living (ie, transport, housework, personal care and grooming) were found between the end-users and their relatives. These results and previous research provide relevant information for device design, mainly related to critical challenges and user requirements. These considerations may help to improve user satisfaction and reduce device abandonment rates.

Conclusions: All stakeholders prioritize comfort in upper-limb prostheses, though perceptions of cost diverge sharply depending on financial responsibility. Integrating users' ADL requirements could enhance independence. Tailoring designs to end-users' diverse needs, addressing family impacts, and mitigating external abandonment factors (eg, unrealistic expectations, training gaps, and accessory shortages) are critical to reducing device abandonment and improving rehabilitation outcomes.