Grant: CIHR-IMHA Inclusive Research Excellence Prizes - Patient Engagement

Lower limb amputee (LLA) research often focuses on male subjects, despite females experiencing unique challenges impacting their prosthetic success and quality of life. This work took a patient-oriented research (POR) approach to assess sex differences in LLA prosthetic needs and priorities. To do so, a POR committee of female LLA Patient Partners and researchers was struck to collaborate on various research aspects, including the development of study materials, analysis and interpretation of results, as well as disseminating findings. More specifically, Patient Partners helped develop a questionnaire and a set of interview questions used in a research study. Male and female LLAs were recruited for the study to answer the questionnaire and complete a follow-up interview. Responses were analyzed collaboratively with committee members to assess differences between sex groups. Significant differences were found between male and female participants in physical aspects of ambulation, satisfaction with prostheses, as well as psychosocial aspects of their amputation. Patient engagement and work with the committee will continue through future research efforts studying sex differences in LLAs. The objective of this work is to ultimately guide optimization of female-specific prosthetics. A key aspect of early-stage medical device research is engaging patients to better understand their needs and priorities. Therefore, taking a POR approach and collaborating with Patient Partners was essential. The committee's work has been invaluable, conducting research that is more relevant to female LLAs that will greatly extend the understanding of sex differences in this population. This research will also advance the engineering process used to develop future female-specific prosthetics, eventually leading to significant improvements in the quality of life of female LLAs.