Experiences of patients following limb amputation: An interpretative phenomenological study

Background: Limb amputation is a life-changing surgical event that disrupts identity, social roles, and emotional well-being. While nursing care plays a central role in supporting patients during early postoperative admission, little is known about how nursing practices shape patients’ sense-making and adjustment during this critical period, particularly in low-resource settings. This study aimed to explore how adult patients who have undergone surgical limb amputation make sense of limb loss during early postoperative admission, with particular attention to psychosocial impacts, information and support needs, and processes of coping and adjustment.
Methods: An Interpretative Phenomenological Approach was used to explore the early postoperative experiences of fifteen adults following upper or lower limb amputation in a tertiary hospital in South-Eastern Nigeria. In-depth interviews were conducted during inpatient recovery and analysed idiographically to examine how participants made sense of limb loss and nursing care encounters. 
Findings: Four interrelated themes were identified. Encountering bodily loss captured shock and bodily disorientation following surgery. Disrupted identity reflected threats to dignity and independence, often intensified through reliance on nursing care. Navigating information and support highlighted the central role of nurses’ explanations, reassurance, and presence in containing distress, while gaps in nursing communication amplified uncertainty. Coping and early adjustment described how nurses mediated family involvement and supported culturally grounded coping, alongside patients’ ambivalence about dependence.
Conclusions: Early postoperative limb loss is a critical period in which nursing care plays a decisive role in shaping meaning-making, emotional containment, and early adjustment. Findings highlight the importance of relational nursing practices, clear communication, and culturally responsive support during inpatient recovery. Strengthening nursing-led psychosocial care during this phase may improve patient experience and longer-term adjustment following amputation in resource-constrained health systems.