Factors influencing use of digital prostheses in workers' compensation recipients

The purposes of this study were to retrospectively identify factors associa ted with decreased use of digital prostheses in workers' compensation recip ients 6 months after fitting and to identify characteristics of those indiv iduals who requested and received a second set of prostheses after demonstr ating consistent use of the first set. One hundred seventy-eight patients f itted with 281 digital prostheses completed a questionnaire 6 months after fitting. Forty-nine patients (28%) stated they never or occasionally used t heir prosthesis (low utilization) and 42 (24%) stated they used them more t han 4 hours per day (high utilization), One hundred ten patients (62%) repo rted stump problems; 37 (21%) stated that the problem interfered with the u se of the prosthesis. High utilization was associated with nonmanual employ ment after the injury. Low utilization was associated with male gender, stu mp problems, and a distal amputation level. Ring finger prostheses were lea st likely to be used; small finger prostheses, most likely. The country of origin of the patient was not associated with frequency of use. One hundred sixty-one patients had received the prostheses at least 3 years before the end of the study; 45% of these patients had requested and received a secon d set of prostheses. Women were more likely to request and receive a second set than men. We could not accurately predict future use of digital prosth eses. Each case must be evaluated on an individual basis. (C) 2000 by the A merican Society for Surgery of the Hand.