Identification of User Requirements for Assistive Technology for Support of Upper Limb Daily Life Interactions from Stroke and Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Patients

摘要

The uptake of assistive technology to improve the functionality of the upper limb in people with disorders affecting the neuromuscular system, such as stroke and Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, is often limited by a gap between the users' needs and the design of the technology. This study aims to identify the technology-specific end-users' requirements for the development of upper limb assistive technology to support daily life activities, and thereby supporting self-management, in stroke and Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, based on the results of disease-specific focus groups and specialist consultation. The focus group results showed that: unobtrusive support, intuitive use, and adaptiveness to an individual and disease progression are key for both stroke and Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy patients. The technology-specific end-user requirements identified in this study can be used to supplement general user requirements identified in the literature, in order to improve the design of assistive technology for support of upper limb daily activities.