MHH launches teaching module for post-amputation rehabilitation

Amputation is tremendously burdensome and radically life-changing for those affected. Undoubtedly, nowhere is this more evident than in conflict zones: since war broke out in Ukraine, thousands of people have been injured, with many of them having lost limbs. Whether amputation victims manage to rebuild their lives, and how well they do so, greatly depends on the rehabilitation provided. By way of assisting in this process, the Department of Rehabilitation and Sports Medicine at Hannover Medical School (MHH) has developed a teaching module called RehAmpTT (short for ‘Rehabilitation after Amputation. Teaching Tool’). This resource is part of a project, funded by Germany’s Federal Ministry of Health (BMG) to the tune of around 120,000 euros, intended to structurally improve rehabilitative care given to amputees in Ukraine.                                                                                                                

Available in two languages: Ukrainian and German

The project’s outcome was presented in report form and provided to the BMG for further use. This supplementary teaching module was developed for medical professionals, amputees and their relatives in Ukraine. Equally, however, it is suitable for use within the German-speaking world as part of healthcare provision for amputees. This learning tool is available online, to anyone interested, on MHH’s learning platform and is provided in both Ukrainian and German.

Social and workplace participation

“The process of rehabilitation following amputation can take months or even years,” explains Dr Christoph Egen, clinical manager at the Department of Rehabilitation and Sports Medicine. “In all cases, the goal is that those affected can enjoy both social and workplace participation as far as possible.” Rehabilitation integrates many different occupational categories and treatment areas. The closer – and the better – these work together, the more successful this patient care can be. And this is where the RehAmpTT teaching module comes in. Over a period of eight months, an interdisciplinary team of specialists at MHH, in conjunction with two orthotic and prosthetic companies, fleshed out this tool. “It was great to see how quickly the team gelled. Despite the range of sectors and professional roles represented, it was soon clear that shared ethical values overrode these differences and any narrower interests. It was a tremendous experience resulting in high output,” Dr Egen notes. 

All rehabilitative steps are covered

This learning platform takes users step by step through the stages of rehabilitative care – from immediately after surgery through to the longer-term situation – and introduces the methods involved in treatment. Within a given stage, the user will find nine subcategories on topics such as ‘Exercise, strength and mobility, ‘Useful aids’, ‘Pain’ and ‘Residual-limb care’. “This tool is far from exhaustive and does not claim to be,” says Dr Egen, “but it does answer all the key questions around care.” There are also practical tips for those affected, such as a guide to cutting bread, tying one’s shoes and even putting on a bra with only one arm.

A problem on a whole new scale

Even before the conflict, MHH’s Rehabilitation Medicine department had a consultative role in Ukraine. “Even before Russia started its war of aggression, there was local experience of post-amputation rehabilitation, but current events meant this issue took on a whole new dimension,” says Dr Egen. “Healthcare for amputees will continue to be needed for decades even after the conflict is over – due to the extensive mined areas alone.”

Tool beneficial in German-speaking countries as well

Two large rehabilitation centres are currently under construction in Ukraine, but for many people these are too far from where they live. “With this teaching module, we aim to make our expertise more generally available and in a straightforward way,” explains Dr Jörg Schiller, a member of the RehAmpTT team. The teaching module, he added, is a simple, easy-to-use tool that could prove valuable not only in Ukraine but also in Germany and other German-speaking countries. In this country, there are some 65,000 people who have had to have a leg amputated for various reasons – not to mention the many arm amputees. “Many GPs are unsure about how to relate to amputees because they have little or no experience of them. This can unintentionally create a sense of distance rather than supportiveness,” Dr Schiller notes. The teaching module can help bridge this perceived gap and improve rehabilitation. 

RehAmpTT took shape in collaboration with the Department of Trauma Surgery, with MHH’s eLearning team at the Peter L. Reichertz Institute of Medical Informatics at the TU Braunschweig university and MHH (PLRI), and with two orthotic and prosthetic companies, namely Brandes und Diesing OHG and John + Bamberg GmbH& Co. KG.

RehAmpTT can be accessed in Ukrainian and German at: digitale-lehre-mhh.de 

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