Disability and Rehabilitation-Assistive Technology最新文献

Purpose of the Article: To (1) summarise the personal and clinical characteristics of persons with disabilities (PwDs) in the US who were evaluated for mobility assistive equipment (MAE) in the functional mobility assessment and uniform dataset (FMA/UDS) and (2) stratify subpopulations of PwD who reported falling versus those who do not report a fall.

Materials and Methods: This study was a retrospective, descriptive cohort analysis of adults with disabilities using the FMA/UDS. Data are collected during a user's initial evaluation for a new mobility device. The sample is intentionally general to be inclusive of all mobility device users. The primary variable of interest was a patient-reported fall within the 3 months leading up to their evaluation for a new mobility device. Subpopulation characteristics were stratified by this binary fall variable.

Results and Conclusions: This study provides descriptions of PwDs being evaluated for a new mobility device. There were 11,084 PwDs with 31 different primary diagnoses. During their new mobility device evaluation, 52.2% of PwDs reported at least one fall in the last 3 months. For those who reported a fall, 46.6% of PwDs were using a walking aid or no device at all before the new mobility device evaluation. Additionally, persons with progressively acquired disabilities (i.e., Parkinson's disease, osteoarthritis and cardiopulmonary disease) reported higher rates of falls than those with congenital disabilities (i.e., cerebral palsy and spina bifida). These findings will influence future studies comparing different types of devices and their influence on falls and user satisfaction.

Purpose: The study examined the benefits of transparent versus non-transparent surgical masks on the speech intelligibility in quiet of adult cochlear implant (CI) users, in conjunction with patient preferences and the acoustic effects of the different masks on the speech signal.

Methods: Speech tracking test (STT) scores and acoustical characteristics were measured in quiet for live speech in three different conditions, without mask, with a non-transparent surgical mask and with a transparent surgical mask. Patients were asked about their experience with the face masks. The study sample consists of 30 patients using a cochlear implant.

Results: We found a significant difference in speech perception among all conditions, with the speech tracking scores revealing a significant advantage when switching from the non-transparent surgical mask to the transparent one. The transparent surgical mask, although it does not transmit high frequencies effectively, seems to have minimal effect on speech comprehension in practice when lip movements are visible. This substantial benefit is further emphasized in the questionnaire, where 82% of the patients express a preference for the transparent surgical mask.

Conclusion: The study highlights significant benefits for patients in speech intelligibility in quiet with the use of medically safe transparent facemasks. Transitioning from standard surgical masks to transparent masks demonstrates highly significant effectiveness and patient satisfaction for patients with hearing loss. This research strongly advocates for the implementation of transparent masks in broader hospital and perioperative settings.

Assistive technology (AT) provides persons with Multiple Sclerosis (PwMS) ability to engage in daily activities, however acquiring AT can be challenging. Understanding current state of knowledge about perspectives and use of AT by PwMS may support critical thinking about AT acquisition process. The aim of this scoping review was to map what is known about AT use by PwMS, to identify gaps in knowledge to guide future research and practice for AT matching. A scoping review of qualitative research on perspectives and use of AT by PwMS searched four databases (Medline, CINAHL, PsychNet, and Engineering Village). Papers included focused on non-institutional settings, addressed participant's feelings/perceptions/experiences, and were in English. Initial search October 2021, updated 2022 and 2023. Two reviewers conducted screening, review, and extraction, with a third resolving disagreements. Data extraction guided by the Canadian Model of Occupational Performance and Engagement, categorised AT use by productivity, self-care, and/or leisure occupations. Covidence^® was used for extraction. Findings were exported into a spreadsheet to facilitate thematic analysis. Search identified 22 peer-reviewed journals and 11 consumer publications (n = 33). Most common AT was mobility devices. Primary purposes were self-care and leisure. Common use included functional mobility, transportation, personal care, household management, recreation, and socialisation. Perceptions focused on AT need, adjusting to AT, influencing factors, performance and engagement improvements, and seeking acquisition advice. Lack of research on experiences and use of AT beyond mobility equipment, and for engagement of daily activities. Evidence provides some insights for future directions and implications to support AT acquisition for PwMS.

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.

Aim: The degree to which people with intellectual and visual disabilities can use technology relies on the level of support they receive. However, there is a lack of knowledge about the relationship between the constructs effort expectancy, attitudes, and behavioural intentions of support people (i.e. relatives and healthcare professionals) regarding the use of such technologies for people with intellectual and visual disabilities. The aim of this study was to gain insight into how these constructs are connected and to explore their relationship with support person's characteristics and the support need levels of people with intellectual and visual disabilities.

Methods: In total, 186 support people from a Dutch healthcare organisation focusing on people with intellectual and visual disabilities participated in an online questionnaire. We used a regression analysis to explore how the constructs, the characteristics, and the level of support needs were related.

Results: Both effort expectancy (β = .35; t(185) = 5.04; p < .001) and attitude (β = .75; t(185) = 15.55; p < .001) of support people were related to the intention to use technologies. The effect of effort expectancy (β = .04; t(177) = .74; p = .462) on the intention to use technologies was mediated through attitude (β = .74; t(177) = 13.28; p < .001). Younger support people scored higher on attitude than older support people.

Conclusions: Support people's effort expectancy and attitude play a significant role in their intention to use technologies when supporting people with intellectual and visual disabilities, with attitude emerging as pivotal factor.

Purpose: Children with limited speech and motor function, frequently subsequent to neurodevelopmental conditions, often require augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). Assessment practices to inform effective AAC interventions for these children can be challenging because of the considerable heterogeneity and range of factors that require consideration. An improved understanding of current assessment practices is imperative to optimize the provision of AAC.

Materials and Methods: We conducted a scoping review to identify the assessment practices used with children with limited speech and motor function subsequent to neurodevelopmental conditions (birth to 18 years) within the Participation Model of AAC.

Results: In total, 171 assessment practices were identified. Almost all were related to access supports and barriers, of which the majority focused on children's capabilities. Relatively few methods were identified to support the assessment of children's participation patterns and communication needs or opportunity supports and barriers. Twenty-three percent of identified formal assessment practices required modifications to established procedures, and 10% could not be completed by all child participants.

Conclusion: Identified assessment practices focused primarily on children and their abilities, whereas very few focused on external factors (e.g., environmental and opportunity supports and barriers). Additionally, identified assessment practices may inaccurately measure the abilities of children with limited speech and motor function, as the procedures often required modification.

IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATIONWithout adequate practices to assess all areas of the Participation Model, clinicians may have difficulty providing comprehensive AAC servicesFuture research should focus on developing practices to assess children's opportunity and environmental supports and barriersThere is a need for practices that are more accessible to children with limited speech and motor function.

Introduction: We conducted a twenty-year bibliometric analysis of scientific literature, focusing on the trends of The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) use in health research.

Methods: We retrieved 3'467 documents published between 2002 and 2022, sourced from the Web of Science Core Collection database. We used the Bibliometrix and VoSviewer tools for descriptive analyses and data visualization.

Results: Our findings indicate a significant increase in ICF application since 2011, with an average annual growth rate of 13.19%. Prominent contributions were observed globally, with notable outputs from the U.S., Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, and Switzerland. The Ludwig Maximilian University Munich, Swiss Paraplegic Research, and McMaster University authored a quarter of the documents (24.6%). Collaboration networks of countries and institutions revealed robust partnerships, particularly between Germany and Switzerland. "Rehabilitation" was the most frequently occurring keyword, although a thematic shift towards epidemiology, aging, and health-related quality of life was observed post-2020. While rehabilitation remained the primary thematic focus, literature post-2020 highlighted epidemiology as a growing area of interest.

Conclusions: A steady increase in ICF-based research mirrors the rising interest in a biopsychosocial and person-centered approach to healthcare. However, the literature is primarily produced by high-resource countries, with underrepresentation from low and middle-resource countries, suggesting an area of future research to address this discrepancy.

Robotic technology-aided instruction and interventions have been designed to support both Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT) interventions for children with ASD. However, to the best of our knowledge, this field has not been systematically reviewed. Thus, we aimed to systematically review the literature to determine whether ABA or PRT methods in a robotic therapeutic context yield better outcomes for individuals with ASD, specifically in terms of approaching and accepting robots. A comprehensive search of electronic databases including PubMed, EMBASE, and Google Scholar was conducted. Randomized control trials (RCT) and pre-post-test design investigations that assessed the impact of ABA vs. PRT approach via robot-mediated technology vs. human trainers on intervention outcomes of children with ASD were selected and included in this systematic review. Finally, 13 papers met the criteria for inclusion in the systematic review. Two independent reviewers extracted the associated data from each selected study according to the standardized data extraction form. Two reviewers also assessed the quality of each study independently using the Cochrane Back Review Scale and JBI tool for quasi-experimental studies. We categorized two general classifications of findings including ABA vs. PRT as well as robotic technology vs. human. In conclusion, the existing investigations on the effect of robotic assistive technology using ABA or PRT approach are promising particularly in therapeutic contexts with a more natural context and social flavor.

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.

Purpose: Social robots have shown positive effects in treating children with autism spectrum disorder. The development of social robots in Indonesia has enabled their potential use in occupational therapy. This study aimed to investigate the factors influencing the acceptance of the potential use of social robots by Indonesian occupational therapists in clinical practice.

Methods: This study employed a mixed methods explanatory sequential design. An adapted unified theory of acceptance and use of technology model was utilised for the quantitative phase. The questionnaire explored the acceptance of social robots. The data were analysed using structural equation modelling. In the qualitative phase, semi-structured interviews with reflexive thematic analysis were conducted. The second phase aimed to explain the reasons behind the quantitative results and factors related to the acceptance of social robots in therapy.

Results: Occupational therapists showed high interest in using social robots in their sessions, as indicated by the significant positive relationship between performance expectancy and potential use. Three influential factors affecting acceptance emerged in the qualitative phase: occupational therapists' characteristics and competencies, social robots and occupational therapy interventions, and environmental influence.

Conclusions: Indonesian occupational therapists have shown interest in using social robots. However, there are challenges regarding the practical application of social robots concerning individual differences in the factors that influence acceptance.