Symposium topic
This symposium addresses patient-centred approaches to data collection, sharing, and use in prosthetic care. It introduces the PRO-CARE Data Guidelines, a road map towards a prosthetic care registry and a more data-driven care environment in UK prosthetic rehabilitation.
Despite the growing population of people living with limb loss, data within prosthetic services remain fragmented, underutilised, and often inaccessible to patients. Previous data initiatives, have often shown limited impact on outcomes, prompting calls for more patient-centred approaches.
Drawing on a UK multi-stage research project, this symposium explores how patients, clinicians, and stakeholders perceive and value healthcare data. It also presents co-produced guidelines designed to support meaningful, equitable, and transparent data practices within prosthetic rehabilitation.
Underpinning science and theory
The symposium is grounded in a robust, mixed-methods evidence base, including a scoping review, qualitative research, national surveys, and participatory action research. This approach ensured co-production, empirical rigour, and strong theoretical relevance to healthcare data innovation.
Relevance for the ISPO World Congress
This symposium is highly relevant to ISPO, addressing global priorities around improving prosthetic outcomes through better use of data. It offers co-produced, practical, and evidence-based guidance for developing patient-centred data initiatives that enhance clinical decision making, service evaluation, and research, with potential applicability across international prosthetic contexts.
Perspectives
The symposium brings together diverse perspectives from UK patients, clinicians, and wider stakeholders. Presentations from the project team include (1) evidence synthesis, (2) large-scale qualitative studies, (3) UK wide survey data, and (4) guideline co-production. This multidisciplinary approach highlights shared priorities and differing needs, particularly around accessibility, governance, and clinical utility of healthcare data in prosthetic services.
Learning objectives
Attendees will gain: (1) an understanding of current challenges in prosthetic data collection and use; (2) insight into patient, clinician, and stakeholder priorities for data systems; (3) knowledge of best practice principles for patient-centred data initiatives; and (4) familiarity with the PRO-CARE Data Guidelines and their application. Participants will also learn how co-production approaches can strengthen data governance, accessibility, and impact. Ultimately, the symposium will equip attendees with practical strategies to support the implementation of transparent, ethical, and effective data systems, contributing to the development of a learning healthcare system in prosthetic care.
