Abstract
The purpose for this paper was to gather research from articles that had strong levels of evidence to study the effectiveness of 3D printed orthoses for people with upper extremity amputations on improving performance of daily activities. We identified a need for a specific population and found that in the United States, nearly 2 million people are living with limb loss with African Americans up to four times more likely to have an amputation compared to Caucasians (Amputee Coalition, 2021). The financial impact on society for direct care was estimated at $59,847, and the therapeutic cost is $29,961 and the overall hospitalization cost for individuals with amputations is $89,808 which have a financial impact on society (Al-Thani, H. et al 2019). The total cost of 3D printed materials which is approximately $50, reflecting the importance of delivering affordable upper extremity prosthetics (Zuniga et al., 2015). Out of the five appraised articles, four found similar results related to performance skills, function or functional tasks, grasp, range of motion (ROM), gross dexterity, and manual handling capabilities (Cuellar et al., 2019, Dally et al., 2015, Zuniga et al., 2019). 3D printed upper extremity prostheses are a viable and effective affordable new alternative to the more costly prosthetic options that are widely available that can also reduce manufacturing costs (Cuellar et al., 2019). Following completion of all research, the articles concluded that the interventions should be provided by professional doctorate level therapists with continuing education courses. Further research should examine the effectiveness of low-cost 3D-printed hand protheses using a Level III pretest and posttest study design with one nonrandomized group. Studies should include larger sample sizes of left- and right-hand dominant participants and participants with upper extremity amputations. The study will examine the group using a standard orthotic for their specific condition and monitor their performance during everyday tasks for one month and then the same using 3D printed orthotics one month following use of a standard orthotic.