Functional outcomes in a lower limb amputee population

This paper reports an evaluation of 132 patients seen at the Nova Scotia Rehabilitation Centre amputee programme during a 24-month period, carried out to evaluate the programme's effectiveness. In addition to a review of charts, a questionnaire was used (85% return rate) to help determine functional outcomes. The patient profile revealed a 3.4:1 male-to-female ratio and an average age of 64.8 +/- 13.0 years. The average overall training time was 44.0 +/- 26.5 days. Of the respondents, 65.5% wore their prosthesis at least 9 hours/day, 11.5% wore it at least 4 hours/day, and only 16.1% were no longer using their prosthesis. The programme's effectiveness appears to compare well with that of others reported in the literature.