Friday, April 8, 2011
Amanda Brown
While watching the upper limb prosthetic lectures this week, I started to thinking about the difference between the cosmetic aspect of an upper limb prosthesis versus the functional aspect.
One of the lectures this week led me to believe that function is by far the most important goal of an upper limb prosthesis. I do agree that our main goal should be to provide our patients with the best functional ability as possible; however, I also believe that the cosmetic aspect of a prosthesis can also play a very important role in a patient’s life. An upper limb prosthesis can be visible to the public and I wonder how important it is for a patient to have a device that resembles a human limb?
A few of my classmates pointed out that if a patient is a bilateral amputee, than function will be the initial goal. This is important because bilateral amputees need some way to accomplish daily activities, such as washing and eating. Also, some patients might need certain functional abilities at work. Therefore, it is important to make sure that he or she is able to perform those tasks.
If the patient has one amputated limb, he or she might want a prosthesis that is more cosmetic. Some patient's might have one prosthesis for daily, heavy-duty activities and a second, more cosmetic prosthesis for special occasions.
I also wonder if there are any significant differences between men and women or even children and adults? Luckily, for those patients who desire a more cosmetic look to their prostheses, there are some creative options available such as matching skin tones and creating gloves that resemble human hands. I guess it all comes down to that initial assessment appointment in order to gather as much information as possible to truly understand the patient's goals and desires.
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