Psychosocial patient perspectives following major lower-limb amputation due to vascular aetiology: a protocol for a systematic meta-aggregation study

INTRODUCTION: Persistent psychosocial problems in people with lower-limb amputation due to vascular aetiology indicate a great need for long-lasting holistic rehabilitation. An in-depth understanding of the psychosocial problems is essential for the guidance of health professionals in meeting and normalising patients' experiences and emotions. Furthermore, identifying the psychological problems may help develop effective rehabilitation and counselling programmes. This meta-aggregation study aims to explore the psychosocial perspectives of individuals who have undergone a major lower-limb amputation due to vascular aetiology during the post-discharge rehabilitation phase.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS: A systematic meta-aggregation study will be performed to identify full-text, peer-reviewed journal articles reporting on patients' psychosocial perspectives on major lower-limb amputation due to vascular aetiology from post-discharge to several years afterward. The databases Embase, CINAHL Ultimate, APA PsycInfo, PubMed and Scopus will be searched with no limitations regarding the publication year. Studies that satisfy the eligibility criteria will be critically appraised using an acknowledged checklist and synthesised using the Joanna Briggs Institute three-phase approach for the synthesis of meta-aggregation studies. The GRADE-CERQual (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation- Confidence in Evidence from Reviews of Qualitative research) tool will be used to determine the level of confidence in the qualitative evidence, and the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis) reporting guidelines will be followed throughout the review process.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethical approval is not required for the study, as the review is built on pre-existing available data in the literature. Findings from the review will be disseminated through publication in a peer-review journal.

PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42022377114.