Introduction: Movement plays a key role in an individual’s daily life, enabling mobility, social inclusion, maintaining physical and mental health, and independence. However, due to diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular conditions, and various infections, amputations are becoming more common. Amputation and the related recovery can impose significant physical, psychological, and social burdens on an individual. Besides physical changes, many face a loss of self-confidence, independence, and changes in relationships. Purpose: The aim of this thesis was to explore the perception of amputations among students and graduates of the higher professional study programme Orthotics and Prosthetics at the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ljubljana, as well as among members of the general public. Methods: The first part of the thesis used a descriptive method by reviewing professional and scientific literature in Slovenian and English, searched through Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, and PubMed databases. In the second part, data were collected via an online survey, which contained nine questions, to assess how different groups evaluate hypothetical amputation cases. Participants included students enrolled in the 2nd or 3rd year of the Orthotics and Prosthetics programme in the 2024/2025 academic year, graduates of the programme, and members of the general public over 18 years old. Results: The 42 fully completed questionnaires showed that students and graduates rated toe and thumb amputations on average as more severe compared to the general public, while they rated below knee amputation as less severe. This supports the hypothesis that professional knowledge contributes to easier understanding and acceptance of amputations. Notable differences were also observed in specific cases, especially for amputation of the thumb on the dominant hand and loss of the big toe. Discussion and conclusion: Our hypotheses were confirmed, indicating a positive impact of orthotics and prosthetics education on better understanding and acceptance of amputations. Students’ ratings aligned with the content of their study programme. The public’s ratings can serve as a basis for further raising awareness about prosthetics. Broader knowledge in this area could help develop better educational materials, reduce prejudice, and promote greater empathy and support for people coping with limb loss. Despite limitations such as a small sample size and inability to compare with other studies, the findings provide a foundation for future research and strengthening public awareness of the importance of prosthetics.
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