ProstheticsExplained is a new resource that provides people with amputations an easy-to-follow guide about navigating life after amputation. Amputations can be an overwhelming experience, especially when patients are underinformed on estimated timelines, the recovery process, and information about prosthesis fitting.
Evergreen Prosthetics and Orthotics clinics, like many O&P facilities, provide resource guides to our patients with recent amputations and have found great success with compiling important information into a short booklet. We also provide them to patients prior to their amputations whenever possible. The resource facilitates great conversation and leads to questions the patient didn’t even know to ask.
Providing O&P patients with clear, thorough information early in the rehabilitation process is essential to their success and their mindset throughout recovery. That’s why I developed and launched my blog, ProstheticsExplained. It’s designed to be a universal resource guide for people with amputations or anyone looking to learn more about prosthetic devices. In an easy-to-read, concise online format, Prosthetics-Explained goes over topics like the prosthetic fitting process, hygiene, socket fit changes, phantom pain, and much more.
Every Monday I publish a new post, and the list of topics continues to grow as I talk with more people with amputations and learn about their individual experiences. A common theme that I’ve found through these conversations is that people are either very grateful for the peer support they were a part of or weren’t really given much information about it.
Connecting with someone who has a shared experience is incredibly important and beneficial to people with amputations. Those thoughts and the conversations I have had with people with amputations led to development of the Patient Spotlights section of the blog, where people write about their unique experience, share insight, and offer advice. This aspect of the blog has gotten positive feedback from the readers and the writers. Readers find the topics relatable and show them that they aren’t navigating this alone. The authors say that writing the pieces has been a great way to reflect on their own experiences.
I’m currently developing a new series for the blog called “I Interviewed 100 Amputees,” where I do exactly that. I will write about what I learned, what was shared, common themes, and important takeaways from a moderate sample size.
An important note: Every clinic practices differently, and patients have varying treatment protocols. The blog doesn’t offer opinions about patient care, suspension mechanisms, types of prosthetic feet, or any components; it is an objective resource of available options.
The information on Prosthetics-Explained supports all of these choices and decisions. Visit it at prostheticsexplained.substack.com, and feel free to email me with questions, comments, or topic suggestions.
Bassel Mufarreh, CPO/L, practices at Evergreen Prosthetics and Orthotics, Washington. He can be contacted at b.mufarreh@evergreenpo.com.
