Determining what rehabilitation information people obtained during major lower extremity amputation (rehabilitation) in the Nelson Mandela Bay Health District setting

Date
2022-04
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
Abstract
ENGLISH SUMMARY: Background: Undergoing major lower extremity amputation is mostly an overwhelming and life-altering experience. A person with an amputation has to accept losing a body part and adapting to a life of being reliant on family and/or their social environment for support. Patients have expressed the need for more information on what to expect in the coming weeks as the most important part of rehabilitation is to enhance their coping skills and better planning for the future. Little is known about this type of information, and where people with a lower extremity amputation find the information in lower income countries, specifically, in South Africa. Objectives: To determine if people living with a major lower extremity amputation or their next of kin (carer) acquired rehabilitation-related information in the Nelson Mandela Bay Health area and, if so, to determine what information was obtained and what information would have been helpful. Research method: A qualitative approach and an explorative descriptive design was used. Semi-structured individual qualitative interviews were held with 12 participants residing in the Nelson Mandela Bay Health District who had had a major lower limb amputation and were three to 18 months post-surgery. Demographic data was obtained using a questionnaire, recorded and analysed in MS Excel (version 2007). The interviews were voice recorded, transcribed and analysed using qualitative data-analysis software according to a deductive framework of the ICF core set. Results: The mean age of the study participants was 59 years, and eight participants were male and four were females. The main cause for amputation was a diabetes mellitus complication (58%), followed by motor vehicle accident (25%) and infection (17%). Most of the information that participants received before the amputation pertained to the body structure and function as well as the reason for amputation. Preventative care and education were not topics that were regularly discussed, sometimes only after amputation was the only alternative. After amputation, most participants expressed a strong need for information on various physical activities and life participation domains as well as their daily environmental needs. They expressed the need to be better informed regarding participating in their life roles, moving and mobility within their home context and community, self-care activities and how to continue with life after an amputation. Conclusion: According to the information that these participants received, it was evident that the health care system in the Nelson Mandela Bay Health District still focused on the medical model of information as most of the information that the participants received after the amputation pertained to their body structure and function. The findings of this study supported the need for amputee rehabilitation to focus on physical activity and participation domains as well as environmental factors as set out in the ICF core sets of persons with lower extremity amputation to improve their reintegration into life roles and their community.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Inleiding: Om groot onderste ledemaat amputasie te ondergaan is meestal 'n oorweldigende ervaring, om te aanvaar dat 'n liggaamsdeel verloor word en te moet aanpas by die lewe waar die individu afhanklik is van familie of hul sosiale omgewing vir ondersteuning. Pasiënte het die behoefte uitgespreek vir meer inligting oor wat om te verwag vir die komende weke as die belangrikste deel van rehabilitasie om hul hantering en beter beplanning vir die toekoms te verbeter. Min is bekend oor die tipe inligting en waar onderste ledemaat geamputeerdes die inligting in lae-inkomstelande en spesifiek Suid-Afrika kry. Doel van die studie: Om te bepaal of mense wat met 'n groot onderste ledemaat amputasie leef of hul naasbestaandes (versorger) rehabilitasieverwante inligting in die Nelson Mandelabaai-gesondheidsgebied bekom het en indien wel, om te bepaal watter inligting bekom is en watter inligting nuttig sou wees. Metodologie: 'n Kwalitatiewe beskrywingde navorsingsmetode benadering is as studieontwerp gebruik. Semi-gestruktureerde individuele kwalitatiewe onderhoude is gehou met 12 deelnemers woonagtig in die Nelson Mandelabaai Gesondheidsdistrik wat 'n groot onderste ledemaat amputasie gehad het en drie -18 maande na die operasie was. Demografiese data is met behulp van 'n vraelys verkry en in MS Excel (weergawe 2007) aangeteken en ontleed. Die onderhoude is stemopgeneem, getranskribeer en geanaliseer met behulp van kwalitatiewe data-analise sagteware volgens 'n deduktiewe raamwerk van die ICF-kernstel. Resultate: Die gemiddelde ouderdom van die studiedeelnemers was 59 jaar waarvan agt manlik en vier vroulik was. Die hoofoorsaak vir amputasie was diabetes mellitus-komplikasie (58%), gevolg deur motorvoertuigongeluk (25%) en infeksie (17%). Die meeste inligting wat deelnemers voor die amputasie ontvang het, het betrekking tot die liggaamstruktuur en funksie en die rede vir amputasie gehou. Voorkomende sorg en opvoeding was nie onderwerpe wat gereeld bespreek is nie of eers nadat dit te laat was. Na amputasie het die meeste deelnemers op 'n daaglikse basis die meeste na inligting in die aktiwiteite- en deelnamedomein sowel as omgewing verlang. Hulle het die behoefte uitgespreek om beter ingelig te wees rakende deelname aan hul lewensrolle, beweging en mobiliteit binne hul konteks en gemeenskap, selfversorgingsaktiwiteite en hoe om voort te gaan met die lewe na 'n amputasie. Gevolgtrekking: Volgens die inligting wat hierdie deelnemers ontvang het, is dit duidelik dat die gesondheidsorgstelsel in die Nelson Mandelabaai-gesondheidsdistrik steeds op die mediese model van inligting fokus, aangesien die meeste van die inligting wat die deelnemers na die amputasie ontvang het, verband hou met liggaamstruktuur en -funksie. Die bevindinge van hierdie studie ondersteun die behoefte aan rehabilitasie om te fokus op die domeine van aktiwiteite en deelname sowel as omgewingsfaktore soos uiteengesit in die ICF-kernstelle van persone met onderste ledemaat-amputasie om herintegrasie in lewensrolle en hul gemeenskap te verbeter.
Description
Thesis (MScPhysio)--Stellenbosch University, 2022.
Keywords
Leg -- Amputation -- Eastern Cape (South Africa), Amputees -- Rehabilitation -- Eastern Cape (South Africa), Amputees -- Eastern Cape (South Africa), Physical therapy services -- Eastern Cape (South Africa), UCTD
Citation