Customised childrens prosthetic 3D printed covers: perceived benefits
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Measurement of the perceived benefits of customisable 3-D printed covers for children’s exo-skeletal prostheses.
IRAS ID
278281
Contact name
Anthony McGarry
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
UNIVERSITY OF STRATHCLYDE
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
NA, NA
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 10 months, 30 days
Research summary
The majority of children’s prostheses are exoskeletal in design. The choice and style of cosmetic finishes are limited.
The initial project leveraged technological advances in scanning and 3-D printing technology to develop low-cost high quality customisable covers. Individually printed covers were produced to seamlessly clip on over the surface of the existing structural shape, and were be easy to remove or change according to the child’s choice and activity.This process was designed to improve engagement with the prosthetic rehabilitation process and promote fun and positive discussion between the family, friends and the child about the prosthesis and the service journey.
Although some feedback exists relating to a positive experience, a very short non validated questionnaire on a small feasibility study of only a few patients in from a single centre since the focus of this project was in creating the covers.The aims of the follow up study therefore are as follows:
• To measure perceived benefits of supplying customisable 3-D printed covers for children’s exo-skeletal prostheses.
• To create and improve designs available from the initial project based on user feedback
• To establish an appropriate pathway from selection to delivery of customized covers which fits in with the current NHS patient pathway
It is proposed that ethical permission will be gained to produce and evaluate up to 60 covers in 6 centres in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Following appropriate permissions, a further 4 designs will be trialed in addition to current designs. These will be made available to users free of charge throughout the NHS in centres managed by Ability Matters.
Feedback will be sought from a statistically powered sample of prosthetic users using appropriately selected validated questions from the Prosthetic Evaluation Questionnaire (PEQ) (Legro et al 1998)
REC name
Yorkshire & The Humber - South Yorkshire Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
20/YH/0316
Date of REC Opinion
16 Dec 2020
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion