KUMJ | VOL. 21 | NO. 1 | ISSUE 81 | JANUARY - MARCH, 2023
Outcome of Three Dimensional Printed Functional Prostheses for Children with Upper Limb Deficiency in Nepal
Shrestha S, Gautam S
Abstract: Background
Children with congenital and traumatic upper limb amputation are undervalued in
a low and middle-income country (LMIC) like Nepal. The use of a prosthetic hand
can give them a feeling of self-reliance to perform their daily activities. However,
prosthesis require periodic maintenance and replacement which could be a financial
burden to some families. The e-Nable community has designed and developed three
dimension printed prosthetic hands for children under 19 years old, and distributed
them free of cost.
Objective
To explore the functionality of the three dimension printed prosthetic hands using
semi-structured questionnaires and assess a series of daily tasks after three months
prosthetic use.
Method
This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted from July 2019 to June
2020, after receiving an ethical clearance from the Nepal Health Research Council
(Registration number: 582/2019). Seventy six children (5-18 years old) who met
the inclusion criteria were enrolled in this study. Data were collected using semistructured
questionnaires, and observational methods to identify the benefits and
drawbacks of the three dimensional prosthetic hands. Mean, standard deviation,
and percentage were used to interpret the data.
Result
All participants could only lift light objects such as tray, tennis ball or a bottle of water.
They had difficulty with those task that required complex movement and with lifting
heavy objects. Moreover, only 47(61.8%) participants were completely satisfied with
the prosthetic hand and the major reasons for dissatisfaction were tear of the rubber
band or cord, and broken parts.
Conclusion
Participant were able to complete certain tasks using the e-Nable community three
dimensional printed prosthetic hands.
Keyword : Children in low and middle-income country, Upper limb deficiency, Three dimensional functional prostheses
