A survey of the satisfaction of upper limb amputees with their prostheses, their lifestyles, and their abilities.

Seventy Australian upper limb amputees responded to a detailed postal questionnaire asking how often they wore their prostheses and their level of satisfaction with both their prostheses and their functional abilities. Fifty-six percent of amputees wore their limbs "once in a while" or "never." Prostheses were most often worn "all the time" for work and social activities. The amount of time amputees wore their prostheses was moderately associated with their level of satisfaction with their prostheses. The association between the amount of time amputees wore their prostheses and their level of satisfaction with their functional abilities was very low. Their prostheses were rated as "fair" or "not acceptable" by 64% of amputees. Sweating was rated as "not acceptable" by 55%. This may well be a significant contributing factor to the low prosthetic use. The amputees who did not wear prostheses did not have any greater satisfaction with their ability to do the tasks they want to do than the amputees who wore prostheses.