Hanger Inc., pledged a $100,000 educational grant to support the second phase of the Amputee Coalition’s Improving the Well-Being of People with Limb Loss program to give prosthetists the tools they need to assist and address their patients’ emotional needs.
The Amputee Coalition partnered with Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine to develop an assessment tool and resource brochure for prosthetists so they can effectively help patients who are experiencing emotional stress. In phase I of the program, researchers developed preliminary program materials and implemented pilot and feasibility studies. These studies showed that prosthetists and patients found the program materials to be helpful in discussing issues related to emotional well-being, and suggested that the program is easy to implement.
“Phase II of Improving the Well-Being of People with Limb Loss will include Hanger Clinics in the dissemination of the program and in the phase II study,” Kendra Calhoun, president and chief executive officer of the Amputee Coalition, stated in a press release. “An efficacy study will evaluate the impact of the program on patient outcomes and the providers’ confidence in assisting patients with psychosocial adaptation. These data will provide the basis for pursuit of federal funding for a large, multi-site clinical trial.”
