Understanding discharge disposition (DD) after limb amputation (LA) surgery
allows health care providers and policy makers to adapt resources based on need.
Studying independent prognostic factors for DD after LA in Canada eliminates the
significant influence of payor source, as reported by researchers in the United
States. We hypothesize disparities exist among DDs after LA in a publicly funded
health care system. Retrospective review of Saskatchewan’s linked administrative
health data from 2006 to 2019 was used to identify independent socio-demographic
factors, amputation levels, amputation predisposing factors (APF), and surgical
specialty on 5 DD’s: inpatient, continuing care, home with support services
(H/W), home with no support services (H/WO), and those who died at the hospital
after LA. We found age, amputation level, and APF play a significant role in
determining discharge to all dispositions; gender was significantly associated
with discharge to continuing care and H/WO; place of residence was associated
with discharge to inpatient facilities, continuing care, and H/W; income was not
associated with any DD other than H/W; surgical specialty was associated with
discharge to all dispositions except death. The findings suggest that
disparities in DD following LA exist even after eliminating the influence of
payor source. Health care providers and policy makers should consider these
findings in preparation for future needs.