Prosthetic management of unilateral transradial amputation and limb deficiency: Consensus clinical standards of care.

Abstract

Introduction: Upper limb research is currently lacking detailed clinical guidance on the provision of unilateral transradial prostheses. Clinical practice guidelines are meant to serve as assistance for the decision-making process, and Delphi surveys have been used with increasing frequency within orthotics and prosthetics to create these guidelines for clinical practice.

Methods: A three round Delphi survey was used to gain consensus on clinical statements regarding unilateral transradial prostheses.

Results: We achieved consensus (> 80% agreement) on a total of 40 statements by surveying 22 experts on upper limb prosthetics over three rounds of surveys. Response rate ranged from 81.8-86.4% with a total of 55 total statements under consideration throughout the duration of the survey. The 40 passing statements were arranged into nine guidelines for provision of prosthetic care in this population.

Conclusions: The Delphi technique allowed for the creation of a set of clinical practice guidelines for the unilateral transradial patient in the absence of conclusive empirical evidence.