End-User and Clinician Perspectives On The Viability of Wearable Functional Electrical Stimulation Garments After Stroke and Spinal Cord Injury
Key finding
A qualitative study (n = 19 patients and clinicians) surfaced design, acquisition, and business-model requirements to guide commercialization of wearable FES garments.
Abstract
Purpose: Functional electrical stimulation (FES), through repetitive training (FES-therapy) or continuous assistance (neuro-prosthesis), can restore motor function after paralysis due to spinal cord injury or stroke. With current technology, patients are often incapable of independently applying FES, thereby limiting its use. Novel FES-garments with embedded stimulation electrodes were developed in collaboration with Myant, Canada, to address this problem. The purpose of this study was to collect the views of future end-users to inform the refinement of the device design and to obtain insights on subsequent commercialization of this rehabilitation and assistive technology.
Methods: A qualitative study was undertaken to determine the needs of potential users (patients and clinicians; n = 19). Participant took part in interviews or focus groups after a presentation of the garments. An inductive content analysis was used to generate the themes from the data and identify data saturation.
Results: The identified themes and sub-themes were: (1) User Perspectives: users' characteristics (needs, limitations), expected benefits (beliefs), and anticipated problems (fears); (2) Device Design: technical features, usability, and disadvantages of the garment, cables, stimulator, software, and interface; (3) Acquisition Process: organizational procedures (acquisition and adoption steps); and (4) Business Model: financial and strategic aspects to facilitate commercialization and support users.
Conclusions: The insights obtained from end-users and clinicians provide guidelines to optimize the development of novel FES-garments, and strategies for bringing the device to the market. The themes identified can serve to inform other rehabilitation and assistive technology developers with processes and ideas on how to meet these groups' needs.
What this proves at MyantX
Technology that ignores its users does not get adopted, so this qualitative study asked 19 patients and clinicians what a wearable FES garment actually has to be — surfacing requirements for design, acquisition, and business model. It informs our Neurostimulation modality and the rehabilitation and healthcare programs, keeping the engineering honest about real-world use. Evidence that MyantX designs with the end user, not just for them.
Cite this paper
Bastien Moineau, Matthew Myers, Saima Ali, Milos R. Popovic, Sander L. Hitzig. “End-User and Clinician Perspectives On The Viability of Wearable Functional Electrical Stimulation Garments After Stroke and Spinal Cord Injury.” Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1080/17483107.2019.1668974
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