Accessibility and Ease of Use in Neuromodulation Devices.

Autor: Glenn B; College of Medicine, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA. Electronic address: bglenn@uams.edu., Tieppo Francio V; Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA; Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA., Westerhaus BD; Cantor Spine Center at The Paley Orthopedics & Spine Institute, West Palm Beach, FL, USA., Goree J; Department of Anesthesiology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA., Strand NH; Department of Anesthesiology, Mayo Clinic, Phoenix, AZ, USA., Sparks D; Lighthouse Healing, Lihue, HI, USA., Petersen E; Department of Neurosurgery, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Neuromodulation : journal of the International Neuromodulation Society [Neuromodulation] 2024 Apr; Vol. 27 (3), pp. 584-588. Date of Electronic Publication: 2023 Apr 10.
DOI: 10.1016/j.neurom.2023.03.003
Abstrakt: Background: The utilization of neuromodulation therapy continues to grow as therapeutic indications expand. These conditions often present with comorbid physical, visual, and auditory impairments. Patients with disabilities in these categories may have difficulty operating their devices. Thus, reviewing the accessibility and inclusive design of neuromodulation devices is imperative to ensure equal access for patients of all ability levels. To date, the literature provides little insight into this topic.
Materials and Methods: Manufacturers of Food and Drug Administration-approved neuromodulation devices in the United States completed our electronic survey to assess neuromodulation device features, universal/inclusive design guidelines, and methods used to make the device accessible to patients with disabilities.
Results: We assessed 11 devices from seven manufacturers. Of those, there were six spinal cord, two peripheral nerve, and three deep brain stimulators. Of all respondents, 91% used universal inclusive design guidelines. Of the studied devices, 91% have an interface that uses visual feedback, and 82% have an interface that uses auditory feedback. All surveyed devices were reported to have an interface that requires physical handling.
Discussion: Our study found that most devices incorporate auditory signals, buttons with raised indentations, speech commands, or other useful features to assist those with visual disabilities. Visual interfaces may be sufficient for a patient with hearing impairment to use all the surveyed devices. However, dual sensory impairment presents a significant limitation in all devices surveyed. Furthermore, the biggest barrier to using neuromodulation devices was physical impairment because all surveyed devices require physical handling.
Conclusions: Manufacturers have awareness of universal inclusive design principles. However, our study was unable to find a device that is accessible to all users regardless of ability. As such, it is critical to involve universal design principles to ensure that inclusive devices are available to improve patient adherence, treatment efficacy, and outcomes.
Competing Interests: Conflict of Interest Vinicius Tieppo Francio receives funding from Nevro with an investigator-initiated study grant. He has no conflict of interest related to this study. Johnathan Goree has received compensation for consulting services with organizations including Abbott, Saluda, and Stratus Medical. Erika Petersen works extensively in the field of neuromodulation and has received grants and/or consulting fees from Abbott, Biotronic, Medtronic, Nalu, Nervo, Neuros Medical, Presidio Medical, ReNeuron, Saluda, SPR, and Vertos. She has also received honoraria, travel support, and/or leadership positions from AANS/CNS, ASPN, ASRA, Cleveland Clinic Pain Symposium, INS, and NANS. She has one patent in this field, stock options for Neuro42 and SynerFuse where she is also a board member. The remaining authors report no conflict of interest.
(Copyright © 2023 International Neuromodulation Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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