Prosthetic Rehabilitation in Practice: An Exploration of Experiential Knowledge in the Multidisciplinary Team

Abstract

<jats:p> The aim of this research was to explore the experiential knowledge of patient-facing staff working in a prosthetic rehabilitation center in the United Kingdom. Eleven members of staff with varied roles and levels of experience took part in semi-structured interviews. Transcripts were analyzed using thematic analysis. Six themes were identified: (a) defining successful rehabilitation, (b) the complex reality of patient-centered care, (c) organizational and interpersonal challenges, (d) who provides psychological support? (e) prosthetic as a panacea, and (f) crash landing. These findings highlight the impact of rotational roles in an environment reliant on experiential knowledge, the challenge of applying patient-centered care models, and the negative effect of unrealistic beliefs about prosthetics on patients and staff. This study contributes to a limited pool of literature articulating the experiential knowledge of staff in the context of rehabilitation after major lower limb loss, facilitating the translation of practice-based evidence into evidence-based practice. </jats:p>