Document Type

Report

College

College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

Department

Occupational Therapy

Degree

Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD)

Report Date

5-2025

Faculty Mentor

Debra Latour

Doctoral Experiential Coordinator

Debra Latour

Abstract

This doctoral capstone project explores prosthetic abandonment and embodiment with the goal of enhancing prosthetic acceptance through education, advocacy, and psychosocial support. The student researcher implemented a series of educational modules within Unlimbited Wellness©, a telehealth program founded by Dr. Debra Latour, in collaboration with Handspring Clinical Services. The researcher delivered these modules through structured focus groups using an occupational therapy framework, designed to support individuals with upper limb absence (ULA). The researcher included participants over the age of eighteen years of age, with any level of ULA currently using prosthesis, or who are currently in the process of obtaining a prosthesis, or the beginning stages, or who have discontinued device use.

By integrating occupational therapy into the prosthetic rehabilitation process, this project highlights the profession’s distinct ability to improve user experience, foster long-term device acceptance, and support holistic health, mobility, and quality of life for individuals with limb difference.

The researcher recruited participants via email through Handspring Clinical Services. Group sessions emphasized the emotional, functional, and social components of prosthetic use, with the aim of promoting prosthetic embodiment and reducing abandonment. The project addresses the widespread issue of prosthetic abandonment, which often stems from challenges such as poor fitness, discomfort, weight, cost, limited function, and difficulties in psychological adjustment.

Keywords: Prosthetic Embodiment, Prosthetic Abandonment, Upper Limb Absence, Occupational Therapy, Psychosocial Adaptation, Prosthetic Rehabilitation, Unlimbited Wellness ©

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