Disability and Rehabilitation. Assistive Technology

PURPOSE: As the older adult population rise globally, technologies to monitoring activities of daily living (ADL) may have a role in supporting aging in place for older adults. The objective of this systematic literature review was to study the scope, diversity and readiness of technologies developed to monitor ADL in older adults. METHODS: We systematically searched two scientific databases (CINAHL and IEEE), following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines...

PURPOSE: Prior research indicates that the provision of assistive technology (AT) services positively predicts successful employment outcomes in vocational rehabilitation (VR) programs. While AT services can be promising, they are underutilized overall, and there are apparent disparities in AT service utilization. The purpose of this study was to identify sociodemographic factors which may act as barriers to receiving AT services in VR programs. Recognizing potential disparities is the first step in improving equity in access to beneficial services...

PURPOSE: Visual impairment-related disabilities have become increasingly pervasive. Current reports estimate a total of 36 million persons with blindness and 217 million persons with moderate to severe visual impairment worldwide. Assistive technologies (AT), including text-to-speech software, navigational/spatial guides, and object recognition tools have the capacity to improve the lives of people with blindness and low vision. However, access to such AT is constrained by high costs and implementation barriers...

PURPOSE: Telerehabilitation systems have the potential to enable therapists to monitor and assist stroke patients in achieving high-intensity upper extremity exercise in the home environment. We adopted an iterative user-centred approach, including multiple data sources and meetings with end-users and stakeholders to define the user requirements for home-based upper extremity rehabilitation using wearable motion sensors for subacute stroke patients. METHODS: We performed a requirement analysis consisting of the following steps: 1) context & groundwork; 2) eliciting requirements; 3) modelling & analysis; 4) agreeing requirements...

PURPOSE: To interpret the Medical Device Regulation for occupational therapists in the Netherlands involved in prescribing and manufacturing custom-made assistive devices and to develop a roadmap for implementation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Four online iterative co-design workshops were organized under supervision of a senior quality manager to assist in the interpretation of the MDR framework with a focus on custom-made assistive devices; and to assist the implementation by generating guidelines and forms...

Purpose: Digital fabrication, like 3D printing, is a new opportunity for rehabilitation professionals to produce customized assistive devices. It allows for empowerment and collaboration in device procurement, but practical implementations are scarcely described. We describe the workflow, discuss feasibility and propose directions for future work. Methods: We showcase a process of co-manufacturing a custom spoon handle together with two people with cerebral palsy. Our digital manufacturing process was centered around videoconferencing to remotely control the processes from design to final 3D printing...

PURPOSE: To describe the barriers and facilitators of the assistive technology service delivery process (AT-SDP), based on the perspectives of assistive technology service professionals (ATPs) and assistive technology (AT) service users. METHODS: We conducted semi-structured interviews with nine AT users and eight ATPs in South Korea. The data were analyzed using a constant comparative approach based on the grounded theory. RESULTS: AT users and ATPs identified common barriers in the assessment, matching, and implementation of the AT-SDP...

PURPOSE: we present a preliminary set of experimental studies that demonstrates device-aided echolocation enabling in blind and visually impaired individuals. The proposed device emits a click-like sound into the surrounding space and returning sound is perceived by participants to infer the surrounding environment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: two sets of experiments were set up to evaluate the echolocation abilities of nine blind participants. The first setup was designed to identify four material types based on the sound reflection properties of materials, such as glass, metal, wood, and ceramics...

PURPOSE: The objectives of the study were to: 1) validate the Wheelchair Seating Discomfort Assessment Tool (WcS-DAT - section II) in Iran, and 2) to determine whether or not the items on the scale address just one dimension (e.g., discomfort). METHODS: A descriptive-methodological study was performed among 109 (76 males and 33 females) full-time wheelchair users, aged 12-70 years in Tabriz, Iran. To develop the revised Iranian version of the WcS-DAT - section II, a standard "forward-backward" method was in the first step...

PURPOSE: The aim of the study was to explore the experiences and meaning of digital technology in daily life by stroke survivors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A phenomenological study design helped to collect rich and in-depth understanding of stroke survivors' experiences and meaning of digital technology in their daily life and their perspective of applying digital technology in the implementation of stroke-related telerehabilitation services. Thematic analysis was used for data analysis...

PURPOSE: Despite the effectiveness of using video-modelling to teach skills for students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), few studies have addressed video-modelling being adopted in the classrooms. This study measured special educators' current use of video-modelling in teaching students with ASD in Saudi Arabia. It also investigated the factors predicting current and future use of video-modelling based on Diffusion of Innovation Theory. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A descriptive research design was used...

PURPOSE: This study proposes a concept for emotion recognition systems for children with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities (PIMD) based on artificial intelligence (AI) using physiological and motion signals. METHODS: First, the heartbeat interval (R-R interval, RRI) of a child with PIMD was measured, and the correlation between the RRI and emotion was briefly tested in a preliminary experiment. Then, a concept based on AI for emotion recognition systems for children with PIMD was created using physiological and motion signals, and an emotion recognition system based on the proposed concept was developed using a random forest classifier taking as inputs the RRI, eye gaze, and other data acquired using low physical burden sensors...

PURPOSE: Rehabilitation robots with intent recognition are helping people with dysfunction to enjoy better lives. Many rehabilitation robots with intent recognition have been developed by academic institutions and commercial companies. However, there is no systematic summary about the application of intent recognition in the field of rehabilitation robots. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to summarize the application of intent recognition in rehabilitation robots, analyze the current status of their research, and provide cutting-edge research directions for colleagues...

PURPOSE: To test the hypotheses that, in comparison with pushing an occupied upright manual wheelchair forward, pulling backward on the push-handles improves the objective and subjective ease with which a caregiver can get the wheelchair across a soft surface (e.g., grass, mud, sand, gravel); and the ease with which a caregiver can get the wheelchair across a soft surface improves if the wheelchair is tipped back into the wheelie position. METHODS: We used a randomized crossover trial with within-participant comparisons to study 32 able-bodied pairs of simulated caregivers and wheelchair occupants...

PURPOSE: The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Quebec User Evaluation of Satisfaction with Assistive Technology (QUEST). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Searches were conducted in August 2021 on four electronic databases: MEDLINE, CINAHL, Scopus, and Web of Science. Eligible papers included cross-sectional validation studies evaluating the psychometric properties of all QUEST versions. Cronbach's alpha, intraclass correlation coefficient, and comparison tools were reported...

PURPOSE: Mobile health (mHealth) technology has increased dramatically in the wake of the pandemic. Less research has focused on people with mobility impairing (PMI) disabilities. This study determined the prevalence of mHealth use among PMI adults during the COVID-19 escalation and examines demographic, health and COVID-19 concerns correlates. METHODS: PMI adults ( N  = 304) completed an online survey investigating mHealth use and COVID-19 concerns related to food access in June of 2020...

PURPOSE: This study presents several accounts of user experiences with assistive technology (AT). Although previous studies on dyslexic students reported promising results from using audiobooks, text-to-speech (TTS), and speech-to-text (STT), qualitative research is relatively sparse and short-term, and little is known about adolescents' long-term experiences of using AT in schools. Therefore, this five-year follow-up study aimed to describe dyslexic students' experiences of AT. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Nine students with dyslexia were interviewed using a semi-structured framework and a descriptive pattern-based thematic analysis...

PURPOSE: We examine the use of a custom iPad application, the Rehab Portal, to provide clients in an inpatient brain injury rehabilitation service with access to short videos where clinicians-or the clients themselves-discuss their current rehabilitation goals. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We developed an initial version of the Rehab Portal app based on our previous co-design with service users, their families, and clinicians. This was examined in a field trial with a series of six clients over the course of their stays in inpatient rehabilitation, collecting quantitative data on clinician and client engagement with the Rehab Portal, alongside a thematic analysis of qualitative interviews with clients and clinicians at the point of discharge...

INTRODUCTION: The inclusion of health professionals who have some type of disability brings benefits, such as the increase in empathy that facilitates the relationship with patients. In this work, we present a case study on the inclusion of an undergraduate Dentistry student with upper limb agenesis. PURPOSE: In order to improve the quality of life for people with upper limb agenesis, it is urgent to establish inclusion strategies in the educational field. This process included the use of assistive technologies to allow the manipulation of instruments used in the practice of dental clinical activities, enabling future Dentists with upper limb agenesis to have an equal education in relation to their academic peers...

PURPOSE: This report presents the adaptation of an assistive device chair for bedside sitting and its application in two patients with trunk control impairment in the acute stroke phase. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The device was built with polyvinylchloride (PVC) pipes and designed by a team of mechanical engineers and physiotherapists to maintain a prolonged sitting position with less demand from therapists. To test the device, two patients were followed up during the acute phase of stroke...