An investigation of user requirements for the upper extremity devices in Taiwan

This study aims to survey the types, use patterns, problems and requirements of the existing UERD in Taiwan hospitals, and then to propose design improvements in order to meet the practical rehabilitation requirements. The study includes two stages. The first stage is to understand the current situation and use problems of the UERD by interviewing occupational therapists and field observation. Ten senior occupational therapists with average age of 35.9 yrs (SD = 4.6) and work experience of 12.9 yrs (SD = 4.8) from 10 hospitals in Taiwan were interviewed about their therapy practices in regard to the UERD, followed by a field observation after each interview. The survey of interview and field observation has found that the current clinical of upper extremity rehabilitation devices (UERD) vary in many different types and use patterns, but they still have some usage problems. In the second stage, in order to more clearly understand the overall situation of the usage problems and improvement needs of the UERD, a questionnaire was developed and administrated. The questionnaire content was based on the results of the preliminary observations of device usage and the interviews with therapists about the use patterns of the device. A total of 48 hospitals sent back questionnaires (a response rate of 42%, out of 113 hospitals), and 185 valid questionnaires were received (a response rate of 35%, out of 530 questionnaires). The respondents consist of 68 males (37%) and 117 females (63%), with average age 31.3 yrs (SD = 6.7) and work experience 7.2 yrs (SD = 5.9). The questionnaire mainly consists of two parts: therapist personal profile and questions about the effectiveness, usage problems and improvement needs of the different types of UERD. Ten widely used basic types of existing UERD are used in the questionnaire survey. The surveyed devices were asked with three types of questions: the effectiveness of the devices in rehabilitation treatment, their usage problems, and design improvement needs. And a multiple choice checklist concerning features needed in the new design of UERD for improvement are also provided. These questions were listed on a 5-point Likert scale with 1 signifying “strongly disagree” and 5 being “strongly agree”. The therapists were asked to fill the questionnaire according to their own experience and opinion of the clinical use of the devices. The questionnaire survey result can be summarized as follows: 1) 53% of the therapists agree that the performances of the existing UERD are good, only 1% of them disagree; the remaining 46% restrain from doing a comment. 2) based on the use requirements of the clinical existing UERD, the three most required improvement in design features proposed by the therapists are: function adjustability (52%), exchangeability of product components (48%), and recording of the patient&s;s movement data (42%). 3) 68% of therapists agree that the existing UERD could be effectively integrated into several types according to the treatment purposes. Therefore, an integration design of the UERD would not only effectively reduce manufacturing cost, but also enhance product use and management. 4) 68% of therapists consider it necessary to add different types of UERD, such as devices for dexterity training of the hand, ADL motion training, and integrated sensory training. 5) Peripheral products, such as patient chair and other furniture, used with the UERD should also be reviewed and even redesigned in order to enhance the effectiveness of rehabilitation therapy. The findings could be synthesized into design directives for the improvement of the UERD for manufacturers and industrial designers of such products. However, for better effectiveness and efficiency, the design of rehabilitation.