Authors (including presenting author) :
Lee KLR(1), Ho OLL(1), Leung PHM(2), Wan SS(1), Mak MYM(1)
Affiliation :
(1)Physiotherapy Department, Tuen Mun Hospital, (2)Prosthetic and Orthotic Department, Tuen Mun Hospital
Introduction :
Robotic gait training system provides intensive and effective gait training for neurological patients. However, quite a number of undesirable pressure injuries related to robotic gait training were reported although paddings were applied for protection. In order to further protect the patients, enhancement on protective accessories for robotic gait training was conducted in TMH.
Objectives :
To develop a new set of protective accessories to minimize the risk of pressure injuries for assuring patient safety during robotic gait training.
Methodology :
Physiotherapy Department collaborated with Prosthetic and Orthotic Department and designed a new set of accessories with different pressure-relieving materials to reduce or re-distribute pressure evenly over areas which prone to pressure injuries. Then a usability study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness and practicability of the enhanced accessories. Sixteen staff with different disciplines were recruited. Subjects received robotic gait training for 20 minutes with old and enhanced accessories respectively. Feedback was collected by self-developed questionnaires and System Usability Scale (SUS) after each trial for comparison.
Result & Outcome :
Discomfort at groin was significantly reduced when subjects were being lifted up (p=0.009) and walking on treadmill (p=0.012). Discomfort at pelvis while subjects walking on treadmill was also reduced significantly (p=0.015). Proportion of subjects complaining redness and pain after robotic gait training was reduced (7% and 25% respectively) with enhanced accessories. 81% of the subjects were satisfied with the enhanced accessories. Four out of six SUS scores rated by users were equal to or above the 50th percentile, which represented acceptable usability for the enhanced accessories.
