Researchers conducted a literature review to identify and highlight the disparity in sex or gender representation in lower-limb prosthetic research. The review also examined what types of studies are less likely to exclude women.
The researchers reviewed electronic databases of the Journal of Prosthetics and Orthotics and Prosthetics and Orthotics International for lower-limb prosthetic literature to determine how frequently gender is considered when conducting research on the fit and function of a device over the last five years. They analyzed the metadata about various study characteristics for patterns.
A total of 191 manuscripts were analyzed. The studies included 25.4 percent female participants, which is below the approximate 34.6 percent of women with amputations. No apparent difference in recruitment was noted between the sample size of a study.
Although a 32.9 percent increase in female participants over time was identified, a significant disparity in men and women research subjects is still prevalent throughout prosthetic research, the authors concluded. In particular, high-validity study types such as randomized control trials and systematic reviews both fell well short of the approximate number of women with amputations. Studies analyzing prosthetic components and developing troubleshooting/diagnostic techniques were also well below the necessary female participants, which could contribute to poor fitting outcomes for women.
