8Bhatnagar, V., Richard, E., Melcer, T., Walker, J., & Galarneau, M. (2015). Lower-limb amputation and effect of posttraumatic stress disorder on Department of Veterans Affairs outpatient cost trends. Journal of Rehabilitation and Research Development, 52(7), 827-838.
9Scoville, C. R., Pruziner, A. L., & Ritland, B. (2016) Rehabilitation without prosthesis (Chapter 60). Atlas of Amputations and Limb Deficiencies: Surgical, Prosthetic, and Rehabilitation Principles, 4th Edition. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. 731-737.
One of the goals of the EACE is to provide prosthetic solutions that encourage prosthetic use and improve function for patients with amputation. Among amputees, prosthetics comprise more than 50% of outpatient cost,8 therefore it is important to determine the best prosthetic for a patient based on their specific individual needs. It is important to recognize, however, that not all patients are candidates for prosthetic use. A book chapter highlighting lessons learned at the Walter Reed Amputee Clinic presents a variety of reasons for prosthetic abandonment and can include age, prior activity, level or severity of injury, health or psychological status, access to prosthetic resources, or other factors that create barriers to use. 9 As such, prosthetic prescription is not a simple task, and the goals for the patient should be paramount in developing a treatment plan that includes patient and family education, peer support, assessment for assistive devices, and training in transfers and activities of daily living in an effort to optimize prosthetic use, quality of life, and prevention of secondary health effects related to inactivity.