In a retrospective chart analysis, a team of researchers, including Bretta L. Fylstra, PhD, and Shane R. Wurdeman, PhD, CP, FAAOP(D), found that people in distressed communities who received a microprocessor knee (MPK) within 12 months of an amputation had improved rates of returning to work.
The chart analysis of 357 individuals with transfemoral amputations living in distressed communities across the United States provided data about age, sex, mobility, etiology, insurance type, and prosthetic knee type as independent variables and employment status as the dependent variable. Community distress was determined by patient zip code and the Distressed Communities Index.
The researchers concluded that people living in distressed communities who received an MPK in the first year following an amputation had 2.71 times greater odds of being employed than those who received a non-MPK, even when controlling for other factors.
Younger age, higher mobility, amputation not due to vascular disease/diabetes, and commercial insurance further contributed to greater odds of being employed.
The study, “Microprocessor knee receipt within 12 months post-amputation is associated with greater odds of employment for individuals living in distressed communities,” was published in Disability and Rehabilitation.
