PURPOSE: User perceptions are critical, yet often ignored factors in the design and development of rehabilitation technologies. In this article, measures for collection of patient perceptions are developed and applied to a novel upper limb workstation that combines robotic therapy and electrical stimulation (ES). METHOD: Five participants with chronic upper limb hemiplegia post-stroke used a robotic workstation to undertake supported tracking tasks augmented by precisely controlled ES to their triceps muscle. Following a 6 week trial, a purpose designed set of questions was developed and individual interviews were conducted by an independent health psychologist. RESULTS: The simple, quick to administer question set showed that participants had a positive response to the system, and contributed valuable feedback with regard to its usability and effectiveness. Participants want a home-based system targeting their whole arm. CONCLUSION: This article demonstrates the value in assessing user perceptions of a rehabilitation system via a simple question set. While the results of this study have implications for a wider audience, our recommendations are for a qualitative study to develop a generic evaluation tool which could be used across the growing number of devices to provide feedback to enhance future development of any new technology for rehabilitation.
PURPOSE: User perceptions are critical, yet often ignored factors in the design and development of rehabilitation technologies. In this article, measures for collection of patient perceptions are developed and applied to a novel upper limb workstation that combines robotic therapy and electrical stimulation (ES). METHOD: Five participants with chronic upper limb hemiplegia post-stroke used a robotic workstation to undertake supported tracking tasks augmented by precisely controlled ES to their triceps muscle. Following a 6 week trial, a purpose designed set of questions was developed and individual interviews were conducted by an independent health psychologist. RESULTS: The simple, quick to administer question set showed that participants had a positive response to the system, and contributed valuable feedback with regard to its usability and effectiveness. Participants want a home-based system targeting their whole arm. CONCLUSION: This article demonstrates the value in assessing user perceptions of a rehabilitation system via a simple question set. While the results of this study have implications for a wider audience, our recommendations are for a qualitative study to develop a generic evaluation tool which could be used across the growing number of devices to provide feedback to enhance future development of any new technology for rehabilitation.
Authors: Katie L Meadmore; Timothy A Exell; Emma Hallewell; Ann-Marie Hughes; Chris T Freeman; Mustafa Kutlu; Valerie Benson; Eric Rogers; Jane H Burridge Journal: J Neuroeng Rehabil Date: 2014-06-30 Impact factor: 4.262
Authors: Francesco Zanatta; Anna Giardini; Antonia Pierobon; Marco D'Addario; Patrizia Steca Journal: BMC Health Serv Res Date: 2022-04-20 Impact factor: 2.908
Authors: F Resquín; J Gonzalez-Vargas; J Ibáñez; F Brunetti; I Dimbwadyo; L Carrasco; S Alves; C Gonzalez-Alted; A Gomez-Blanco; J L Pons Journal: J Neuroeng Rehabil Date: 2017-10-12 Impact factor: 4.262