Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39143636›Full record

ReviewTropical diseases, travel medicine and vaccines2024

Travellers with prosthetic limbs, a neglected population. A perspective on what travel health practitioners need to know.

Irmgard L Bauer, Vikranth H Nagaraja

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Tropical diseases, travel medicine and vaccines, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

2 authors.

Irmgard L BauerCollege of Healthcare Sciences, Academy - Tropical Health and Medicine, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, 4811, Australia. Irmgard.Bauer@jcu.edu.au.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8305-3700
Vikranth H NagarajaCentre for Human Movement and Rehabilitation, School of Health and Society, University of Salford, Salford, M5 4WT, UK. v.harthikotenagaraja@salford.ac.uk.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7491-8242

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe benefits of travel for the wellbeing of people of all ages and abilities are well known, though travellers with prostheses have so far been excluded. Limb loss, due to trauma, vascular disease, cancer, or infections requires a prosthesis for cosmesis and functionality. The life-changing event of losing a limb and the considerable psychological adjustment to accept an altered body image influence rehabilitation and self-management as well as the participation in social activities, such as sport and travel. The challenge of travel lies not only in transferring practical impediments encountered at home to another location; familiar coping strategies may require unexpected adjustments. After presenting background information on limb loss and prostheses, the purpose of this paper was to review literature on health advice for travellers with prosthetic limbs.

methodAll major data bases were searched for peer-reviewed literature using a variation of keyword combinations around travel and prosthetics. Relevant journals were searched individually, and selected authors and university departments contacted. No evidence-based results were obtained. The search then moved to grey literature including documents from relevant organisations, professional bodies, government websites, manufacturers, airlines, prosthetic/physiotherapy clinics, sport organisations to approaching amputees, including veterans and athletes, directly.

resultThe list of collated travel advice for people with artificial limbs relates to (1) trip preparation, (2) packing (especially considering the mechanical and/or electrical requirements of the prosthesis), (3) travelling by plane as the most covered mode of travel, and (4) navigating airports and airport security, which may be used by travel health practitioners while awaiting evidence-based guidelines.

conclusionThis is the first paper on travel with a prosthetic limb in any field, including travel medicine. Therefore, travel health practitioners have no evidence-based guidelines at their disposal required for high-quality care for this neglected population. Preliminary recommendations for clinical practice, advice for required updates in education, and suggestions for urgently needed research are provided to replace current hints and tips with evidence so that travellers with prostheses are no longer 'out on a limb'.

Indexed as

Airport securityAmputeeArtificial limbBody imageDisabilityTravel barriersTravel guidelines.Travel health

Identifiers

PMID39143636
PMCPMC11325610

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.