Shoes in the cupboard - the fate of prescribed footwear?

Williams, AE ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1224-4347 and Meacher, K 2001, 'Shoes in the cupboard - the fate of prescribed footwear?' , Prosthetics and Orthotics International, 25 (1) , pp. 53-59.

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Abstract

Studies show that patient dissatisfaction with prescribed footwear results in low usage and that the cause is the system that provides it. The aim of this study was to compare referrer and patient perceptions of a multidisciplinary footwear clinic (MDFC) and a traditional surgical appliance clinic (SAC). Referring consultants completed a questionnaire for every referral (28 referred to the MDFC and 27 to the SAC) during a six-month period. Structured interviews were designed to gather the data. The results showed that referrers to both groups indicated that they lacked the time and knowledge to give advice about retail footwear. The entire MDFC group but only 18 (66.6%) of patients in the SAC group had the opportunity for discussion about footwear before the prescription took place. Some 17 (62.9%) in the SAC group reported problems with the footwear but only 11 (40.7%) of this group were informed what to do if problems occurred. Both groups demonstrated an association between the patient's attitude, their perception of improvement in their feet and overall satisfaction. These factors seemed to have an impact on the usage of the prescription footwear with 13 (48.1%) of the SAC group using other footwear compared with 2 (7.2%) in the MDFC group. This study adds to the suggestions made in other studies that there is a need to review the SAC system and identifies key areas that influence patient satisfaction.

Item Type:	Article
Themes:	Subjects / Themes > R Medicine > R Medicine (General) Health and Wellbeing
Schools:	Schools > School of Health and Society > Centre for Health Sciences Research
Journal or Publication Title:	Prosthetics and Orthotics International
Publisher:	Informa Healthcare
Refereed:	Yes
ISSN:	0309-3646
Depositing User:	Dr Anita E Williams
Date Deposited:	27 Sep 2010 15:16
Last Modified:	15 Feb 2022 15:32
URI:	https://usir.salford.ac.uk/id/eprint/10254

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