Training for users of myoelectric multigrip hand prostheses: a scoping review

Abstract

Background: Training is crucial to develop the ability to operate a myoelectric prosthetic hand and use it in daily life. Multigrip prostheses, with their wider repertoire of functions, require further training. Because studies show that prosthesis abandonment is an issue and the advanced functions are not used to the expected extent, the question of what training should be offered to patients arises. If the available training methods were synthesized, the training could be improved to the benefit of the people who are fitted with a multigrip prosthesis.

Objective: To critically examine the content of published sources for training of users with myoelectric multigrip hand prostheses.

Study design: Scoping review.

Methods: A literature search covering the period 2007-2020 in the databases PubMed, CINAHL, and Allied and Complementary Medicine Database, as well as gray literature from prosthesis manufacturers, identified 2,005 sources. After full-text review of 88 articles and four user manuals from manufacturers, nine sources were included and analyzed in their entirety.

Results: We found few descriptions of multigrip prosthesis training, and no source described all training phases in detail. Integration of the prosthesis and training in daily activities was described least. Few sources actually described how to perform training in multigrip functions, and none described how to integrate these functions in daily life.

Conclusions: Existing training instructions for using multigrip prosthetic hands are inadequate, providing poor guidance to clinicians and insufficient training for patients. Further research is needed into the efficiency of various training methods.