Disability and Rehabilitation-Assistive Technology最新文献

Purpose: This review aims to examine how the use of voice assistants influences loneliness in older adults.

Materials and methods: This study follows the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Databases such as CINAHL, APA PsycINFO, MEDLINE, PubMed, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, Scopus, SciELO, Google Scholar, and IEEE Xplore were used. We implemented search strategies in English to locate studies published between January 2010 and January 2023, including those examining the impact of voice assistant usage on loneliness in older adults. Descriptive information was examined, assessing its quality with the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool.

Results: A total of 499 studies were yielded from the initial search, with 13 included in the final analysis. Positive outcomes in reducing loneliness were reported in 84.6% of these studies. There was a prevalence of quasi-experimental studies, alongside heterogeneous measurement instruments, scarce use of standardized tests, and small samples predominantly consisting of women. Commercial voice assistants were the most commonly utilized.

Conclusions: Voice assistants show potential in mitigating feelings of loneliness in older adults. Adequate training and adaptation to specific needs seem essential to maximize their effectiveness. In particular, voice assistants available in the consumer market hold significant potential in this area. Further research is necessary to comprehend their impact, encompassing potential risks and ethical considerations.

Purpose: The purpose of this systematic review of the literature is to build understanding of the key elements and recommendations for the design of mHealth technology for individuals using wheelchairs and/or scooters and identify key features associated with the use of mHealth to support healthy behaviour changes for this population.

Materials and methods: Eight major electronic databases were systematically searched to identify mobile health (mHealth) interventions, which targeted adult WC/S users. Independent reviewers used Endnote and Covidence to manage articles meeting review criteria and to exclude duplicates. A quality assessment was conducted on each included article.

Results: Nine articles describing studies with diverse study designs met criteria to be included in this review. Several interactive application intervention features, such as participant collaboration and goal setting, and key technical features to support mHealth app development and utilisation were identified. Results found intuitive and simple designs of mHealth apps, with the ability to customise to support learning styles and preferences, support usability and acceptability by participants.

Conclusions: More research is needed to evaluate best practices to support initial training of end-users, mHealth apps' ability to support long-term behaviour change and maintenance, and the understanding of active ingredients in complex interventions that include mHealth apps. Both interactive mHealth application intervention and technical features support healthy behaviour change among individuals using wheelchairs and scooters.

Background: The literature is scarce about virtual reality (VR) use and its integration into clinical practice. Given the growing interest toward using VR in healthcare in the UK, the aims of this survey were to explore its current use by paediatric physiotherapists in clinical practice in the UK, identify the facilitators and barriers to VR implementation in clinical practice and investigate the factors that will enhance intentions to use it in the future.

Methods: An online survey using Assessing Determinants of Prospective Take-Up of Virtual Reality (ADOPT-VR2) was distributed to UK paediatric physiotherapists through the Association of Paediatric Chartered Physiotherapists. Descriptive statistics and regression analysis were conducted.

Results: Out of 128 responses, 81 UK-based paediatric physiotherapists completed the survey. The therapists worked in the National Health Service, in the private sector and education. Most of the respondents reported not using VR in clinical practice (n = 75; 93%). Only 7% of respondents reported using VR in clinical practice. Attitudes toward VR, compatibility, and the peer influence constructs of ADOPT-VR2 all significantly predicted the behavioural intention to use VR (R² = 0.612, p = <0.001).

Conclusions: This study shows that the current use of VR is limited. The findings from this study suggest that multiple factors need to be reconciled to enhance VR implementation. Specifically, therapists need to be provided with time, appropriate training, and financial and technical support. Stakeholders may also need to consider developing practical manuals to ensure therapists are implementing VR consistently and correctly.

Purpose: This review examines the availability of information on welfare technologies for people living with dementia in Sweden.

Materials and methods: A scoping review of 21 counties and 290 municipalities was conducted to assess the degree of information provided on welfare technologies.

Results: The findings of this review indicate that most Swedish municipalities offer limited information regarding these technologies. Additionally, we conducted a mapping survey to identify the various welfare technologies offered by each county based on the available online material.

Conclusions: We argue that greater attention should be given not only to how information is provided but also to the extent to which it is provided to people with dementia and their relatives. Improving these aspects is crucial for making informed decisions. Finally, our review suggests that counties and municipalities should coordinate with local and national resources (e.g., Alzheimer Sweden) to deliver more accurate information through different media forms.

This study investigated the effects of using the LiftCar-150 track-based stair-climbing robot on muscle activity, usability, and psychological anxiety. While stair-climbing robots enhance mobility for individuals with physical disabilities, existing research has predominantly focused on engineering perspectives, with limited attention to user-centered outcomes. Ten healthy participants and an 80 kg dummy rider completed stair-climbing tasks at slow (5 m/min) and fast (7 m/min) speeds. Muscle activity in the middle trapezius (MT), erector spinae (ES), multifidus (MF), gluteus maximus (Gmax), gluteus medius (Gmed), and anterior deltoid (AD) muscles was recorded by electromyography. Usability was evaluated in terms of safety, efficiency, and satisfaction using a 5-point Likert scale, while psychological anxiety was assessed with a visual analog scale (VAS) ranging from 0 to 10. Results showed that during stair ascent, activities of the back extensors (ES and MF) and gluteus muscles (Gmax and Gmed) significantly increased compared to descent, while anterior deltoid activity was higher during descent. Usability scores averaged 4.05 for stability, 4.1 for efficiency, and 3.7 for satisfaction. Perceived psychological anxiety scores were 4.2 ± 0.3 and 5.4 ± 0.5 at slow speed, and 3.5 ± 0.2 and 5.7 ± 0.4 at fast speed during ascent and descent, respectively. While operators recognized the robot's stability and efficiency, satisfaction levels were neutral, and specific muscle activation was increased. These findings provide essential insights into optimizing the design and usability of stair-climbing robots to better address user needs.

Objective: A systematic review of 30 full-text articles was conducted on user acceptance of technologies that assist people who have functional difficulties (FD) with activities of daily living (ADLs) and mobility. Our objective was to better understand the adoption of mobility assistive products (mobAP) among people with FD.

Methods: A literature search in EBSCO, PubMed, SCOPUS, and Web of Science yielded 423 articles. Ultimately, thirty articles met our inclusion criteria.

Results: Four overarching themes were identified using a thematic analysis approach. The themes were Empowerment Through the Use of Mobility Assistive Products, Incorporating User-Centered Design, Understanding the Challenges Users Encounter, and Improvements to Research Design. These themes highlight trends across studies that indicate that mobility assistive products have the potential to improve the well-being of people with FD. Still, significant efforts need to be made to improve the training with these devices. Moreover, researchers, healthcare providers, and designers should carefully consider the environmental, social, and facilitating conditions that moderate acceptance of these products.

Conclusion: This work advocates for more inclusive research design methodologies based on the limitations of the included studies. Ultimately, this review highlights the importance of understanding mobility assistive product acceptance among people with FD. By synthesizing the literature and identifying knowledge gaps, this review informs evidence-based decision-making for healthcare professionals, policymakers, and designers to develop user-centered healthcare assistive products, training, and assessments.

Purpose: Assistive technology (AT) can increase or maintain the quality of life and overall well-being of people with disabilities. Nevertheless, access to AT is limited among Hispanics with disabilities in the United States (U.S.). AT research representing the experiences of Hispanics is limited, potentially leading to disparities in AT use. Moreover, poor inclusion of Hispanics neglects the needs of this population, resulting in discrepancies in research, practice, and policy related to AT. To address these limitations, this study aimed to identify and explore multilevel environmental barriers to AT use among a sample of Hispanics in the U.S.

Methods: This was a descriptive qualitative research design study guided by the Social Ecological Model framework using in-depth interviews to collect data. Nine Hispanic individuals with disabilities and their caregivers who received AT services at the University of Illinois at Chicago Assistive Technology Unit outpatient clinic were interviewed. Data was analyzed using a qualitative thematic analysis approach.

Results: Barriers to AT use were found to exist in all levels of the Social Ecological Model. The most common barriers to AT use were identified in the community domain, which was related to the lack of AT information, and in the societal domain, which was related to sociocultural norms and the availability of AT funding, policies, and regulations.

Conclusions: The participants' lived experiences and perspectives underscored that environmental barriers to AT use are not isolated occurrences; rather, systemic attitudes permeate across all levels of the Social Ecological Model.

Objective: The study examines the effects of the air-bladder offloading mode of a smart pressure redistribution wheelchair cushion on tissue oxygenation in the gluteal tissue of non-disabled participants. The hypothesis is that the cushion's offloading mode, which involves sequentially deflating its five air-bladders one at a time for a specific duration, would improve tissue oxygenation during sitting.

Methods: Two procedures were conducted. The first compared the cushion's offloads to a loaded control (LC) with the cushion on static mode, and the second compared the cushion's offloading mode to a standard manual offload performed by the participant. Three trials of each procedure were performed in randomized order. Tissue oxygenation was continuously monitored with three oxygenation parameters analysed: oxygen saturation (SO₂), oxygenated haemoglobin (OxyHb), and deoxygenated haemoglobin (DeoxyHb). Data recordings were segmented in each step of the offloading sequence for analysis. A paired t-test was performed for comparisons with significance considered at α = 0.05. Ten healthy adults participated in the study.

Impact: Results showed that as the air bladders deflated over time, the three evaluated parameters changed, affecting oxygenation even when other tissue areas were offloaded. The results indicated that the cushion's sacral offload had the greatest impact on improving tissue oxygenation among the five air-bladders in all ten subjects (p < 0.05). Furthermore, SO₂ during the cushion's offload in the sacral region was similar to a manual offload. The study results suggest that the cushion could benefit tissue oxygenation, especially for individuals unable to change positions independently. Further research is needed to determine its effectiveness for wheelchair users.

Introduction: A modern and accessible healthcare system requires digital innovation and connectivity. The term "Digital health" covers vide range technologies, such as mobile health and applications, electronic records, telehealth and telemedicine, wearable devices, robotics, virtual reality and artificial intelligence.

Methods: Scientometrics is the method that we have done in this study by Cite Space and VOSviewer software, and the result of searching the Web of Science database in plain text format to perform analysis and scientometrics and create outputs in the form of graphs and tables in the field of digital health has been used in stroke rehabilitation.

Result: A total of 2933 documents related to digital health technologies in stroke rehabilitation were identified by searching for the terms "stroke rehabilitation" or "stroke recovery" in the title and "digital health" across all fields. The strongest citations related to cerebrovascular disease spanned from 1994 to 2007, with randomised clinical trials occurring almost simultaneously and ended by 2012. Consequently, stroke rehabilitation by virtual reality technology has obtained the most citations and clinical trials and as an important part of digital health in the future research process.

Conclusion: This scientometric study offers insights into how digital health technology can assist stroke patients in self-managing their health and well-being, in addition to supporting integrated stroke rehabilitation. The analysis revealed that three themes were present: author contributors and collaboration networks, temporal evolution, the strongest citation explosions for digital health technologies in stroke rehabilitation research, and semantic analysis.

Background: Children with cerebral palsy (CP) present unique challenges to physical activity due to various factors. Despite the benefits of inclusive approaches and adapted physical education, low- and middle-income countries face specific barriers including environmental, equipment, personal, policy, social and professional barriers. Traditional Indian games, with their cultural significance and potential therapeutic benefits, offer a promising avenue for inclusive adaptations. At present we couldn't find any studies that explore's the method of adaptation of traditional Indian games for children with cerebral palsy of varying functional levels.

Purpose: The aim of the study was to explore the adaptation of traditional Indian games for children with CP of varying functional levels.

Methods: Traditional Indian games were identified through ethnographic qualitative research, and adapted using the Delphi process involving experts from various fields. A total of 10 traditional games were selected based on their health benefits using an operationalised conceptual model. The CHANGE IT model of adapted physical activity was used to systematically adapt each game. Validation of the model was then performed on children with CP [a smaller sample size, n = 10] with different levels of functioning.

Results: The games varied in playing positions, surfaces and phases. Modifications included changes in game rules, play environment, equipment and time duration. The study validation through informal interview among the parents of CP children revealed that adapted traditional game protocol shown improvements in their children's activity levels and participation.

Conclusions: While this is a preliminary exploration, no firm conclusion can be drawn. The model presented in this study lays the foundation for future randomised controlled trials to validate the effects of adapted traditional Indian games on children with cerebral palsy of different functional levels.