Introduction: Amputation of the upper limb is a life-changing event for a person. Although the use of a prosthesis can compensate for the loss of a limb to some extent, it still has a significant impact on a person's independence, communication, and self-image. The vast majority of people who require prosthetic care live in so-called developing countries, where disability is strongly linked to poverty. Manufactured upper limb prostheses in developing countries or manufactured for the purpose of use in these countries differ from the established prostheses of the developed world due to many limiting factors. Purpose: The purpose of the thesis is to review the field of upper limb prostheses intended for use in developing countries with an emphasis on the properties of relevant prostheses and problems affecting the manufacture and supply of prostheses compared to the Western world. Methods: We conducted a systematic review of relevant literature for writing the thesis. We used the databases Google Scholar and PubMed. The reviewed literature was published between 2013 and 2023. We additionally limited ourselves using keywords. Results: To review the characteristics of hand prostheses in developing countries, after reviewing the literature, we collected thirty different cases that were either made in a developing country or manufactured exclusively for use in these countries. We identified the main problems in the field of upper limb prosthetics in developing countries as: lack of funding, low awareness of the government and the general public about prosthetic services, an insufficient number of educated prosthetists, geographic inaccessibility and traditional beliefs about disability. Discussion and conclusion: The main finding of the thesis was that compared to the developed world, the vast majority of amputees in developing countries do not have access to prosthetic care or have access to very low-quality care. The authors proposed some solutions to these problems, which require a lot of time and funding. The characteristics of hand prostheses are therefore adapted to the problematic field of prosthetics. Most attention is paid to the cost aspect of prostheses, which is reflected in all their characteristics. The majority of installed models belong to the category of passive or body powered prostheses due to their robustness and ease of use. Electric components are rarely implemented due to their cost and unsuitable environment. Prosthetic design is as simple as possible to further increase affordability. The materials used are cheap and locally available. A significant portion of the prostheses are also donated from developed countries, but they have largely proven to be unsuitable for everyday life in low-income countries. In the collected cases of prostheses from the literature, the proportion of myoelectric prostheses is relatively high. The reason is most likely the development of prototypes in Western countries. 3D printing was the most commonly chosen method of manufacture. This allows for a high level of design, easy prosthetic production, the use of freely available internet models and quick replacement of damaged parts.
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