# Understanding prosthetic needs and outcomes in women Veterans with amputation

> **NIH VA I01** · VA PUGET SOUND HEALTHCARE SYSTEM · 2021 · —

## Abstract

Background: The VA has a long history of developing and providing state-of-the-art prosthetic technology and
rehabilitation services for Veterans with lower extremity amputations (LEA). Despite VA’s goal to provide
patient-centered, gender-sensitive care to all Veterans, prosthetics research in VA has mainly included and
focused on the needs of men. Women are the fastest growing demographic in VA, and VA currently provides
care to over 1,200 women with a major LEA. That number will likely increase as the number of women
Veterans, currently at its highest point in history, is expected to continue rising. Primary goals of rehabilitation
following a major LEA include successfully fitting a prosthesis and providing training to use the prosthesis to
achieve functional mobility. Greater prosthesis use is associated with improved mobility, functioning, and
independence as well as better quality of life. Thus, identifying the extent to which women achieve functional
mobility through prostheses that fit them and meet their needs is critical to ensure that VA is providing excellent
and equitable care. Accordingly, the goal of this research is to provide information that will improve clinical care
for women Veterans with LEA.
Objectives: The objectives of this study are to: 1) characterize prosthetic prescription rates, prosthetic-device
types, time to prescription, and their correlates among women with major LEA as well as evaluate gender
differences in these outcomes using administrative data; 2) identify barriers and facilitators to achieving
successful functional mobility, factors impacting prosthetic use and satisfaction, and needs and preferences
related to prostheses among women with major LEA who were prescribed a prosthesis using qualitative
interviews; and 3) characterize prosthetic use, prosthetic satisfaction, functional mobility, and health-related
quality of life and their correlates among women as well as evaluate gender differences in these outcomes
using survey data.
Methods: To achieve these objectives, we will capitalize on VA’s extensive electronic medical record data,
including the Corporate Data Warehouse and National Prosthetics Patient Database (Aim 1), as well as
conduct qualitative interviews (Aim 2) and a quantitative survey (Aim 3) with Veterans with LEA. Both
administrative data and the survey will include women and men, to characterize women overall and in
comparison to men. Information on prescriptions for definitive prostheses will come from administrative data by
linking individuals identified in the Corporate Data Warehouse with data in the National Prosthetics Patient
Database; other outcomes will be assessed via survey. For Aim 2, we will conduct semi-structured telephone
interviews with a sample of women with a major LEA who were prescribed a prosthesis. Aim 3 will involve a
self-administered mailed survey that will permit us to characterize prosthetic use, prosthetic satisfaction,
functional mobility, and health-related...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10101493
- **Project number:** 5I01RX002797-03
- **Recipient organization:** VA PUGET SOUND HEALTHCARE SYSTEM
- **Principal Investigator:** Keren Lehavot
- **Activity code:** I01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** VA
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** —
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-04-01 → 2022-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10101493

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10101493, Understanding prosthetic needs and outcomes in women Veterans with amputation (5I01RX002797-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10101493. Licensed CC0.

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