A growing strand of research is on disability and how people with disabilities access health services in LMICs.
LMIC Limbs – led by Dr Alex Dickinson (Engineering and Physical Sciences) with Dr Amos Channon
The aim of this work is to improve prosthetic and orthotic service access and to train clinicians in Cambodia. Alongside key work on measuring digital measurement to assess anatomy and designing the architecture for collecting and synchronising data, a strand of work analysing case files is underway. Alongside Charlotte Owen, a PhD student within Social Statistics and Demography, work is ongoing to understand who accesses services provided by Exceed Worldwide clinics in Cambodia, and whether their characteristics affect how often their devices are repaired or replaced.
Mobility Limiting Lower Limb Conditions in Nepal: Scale, treatment and impact – led by Dr Amos Channon and Dr Lucy Gates (Health Sciences)
This small scale study, funded by the GCRF, aims to explore the burden and related implications of lower limb conditions (LLCs) in Nepal. Currently there is little known about how many individuals are suffering from issues of the lower limb, in particular those conditions that may restrict mobility, cause pain or require treatment in all LMICs. Understanding the scale and implications of LLC is a vital first step in this research area, as for many sufferers these conditions lead to reduced mobility and have a detrimental effect on quality of life, and likely leading to social restrictions and increased poverty in LMICs. The activities in this project are designed to explore this issue with the purpose of estimating the baseline prevalence of LLCs, to bring together interested groups and to raise awareness to support further research based upon societal need. It will also generate evidence for policy advocacy and, ultimately, provide the basis to develop health service improvements.