Decision-Making of CPOs in Selecting a Shape-capture method for Custom-Made Prosthetics and Orthotics: a Qualitative study

Sammanfattning

Background: The purpose of this thesis is about CPOs (certified prosthetist and orthotists) decision-making when it comes to shape-capture of custom-made orthotics and prosthetics. Previous studies have focused on looking at the quantitative aspects of shape capture between 3D scanning and plaster casting. This study will investigate what influences CPOs in their decision making and what the barriers or facilitators are in using a specific method of shape capture. Method: A qualitative study with an exploratory design was used. A total of seven participants were interviewed and a thematic analysis with an inductive approach was used by the two authors to understand the dataset. Four closed ended questions and 11 open ended questions were used in the interviews to the participants all from Sweden. Results: The study found three themes: Contextual related aspects, Organizational and Human related aspects. Most of the themes had several sub-themes which highlighted some of the underlying reasons that influence CPOs in their decision making. Conclusion: The reason for choosing a certain method was largely dependent on the patient, time aspect, the availability of equipment, and their own opinions and preferred method. This study showed new insights into the decision-making for Swedish CPOs and the external influences that could affect the decision-making of CPOs.