The lived experience of people with upper limb absence living in Uganda: a qualitative study

Abstract

Background: The impact of upper limb absence on people’s lived experiences remains severely under-explored, particularly in African countries, with implications for policy and service design.

Objectives: explore the lived experiences of people with upper limb absence (PWULA) living in Uganda.

Method: informed by preliminary work, we designed a qualitative study employing semi-structured interviews to understand the experience of living with upper limb absence in Uganda. Seventeen adults with upper limb absence were individually interviewed and their interviews analysed utilizing thematic analysis.

Results: seven themes illustrating the impact on the individual’s life after amputation were identified and categorized into (1) living and adapting to life, (2) productivity and participation and (3) living within the wider environment. This paper presents three main findings: 1) PWULA need psychological and occupational support services which are not available in Uganda, 2) PWULA want to work but face multiple barriers to employment and limited support, this is combined with complex parenting and caring responsibilities, 3) the local Ugandan culture and social structures affect in both positive and negative ways the everyday life of PWULA.

Conclusion: This paper contributes the lived experiences of PWULA in Uganda which are lacking in the literature. PWULA face ableism and hardship underpinned by a lack of formal support structures and policies, which may in turn exacerbate the impact of upper limb absence on multiple facets of life.

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