Exoskeletons For Spinal Cord Injury: A User-centered Study
Location
1047
Format Type
Event
Format Type
Paper
Start Date
January 2019
End Date
January 2019
Abstract
A wearable robotic exoskeleton (WRE) is a new technology that makes it possible for people with spinal cord injury (SCI) to stand upright and walk. WRE promise to help people with SCI be more mobile, and potentially get more satisfaction from life. Research so far has focused mostly on “Do WRE actually work?” versus “How can people with SCI best use this new technology?” Little is known about how to best use WRE, which kinds, for which persons with SCI, and for what purposes. The goal of this study is to better understand, using interpretative phenomenological analysis, the experiences that people with SCI, their family members/caregivers, and their clinicians have had with WRE and to understand their priorities for WRE use. We will present preliminary findings from the study, as well as our experiences teaching undergraduate disability studies students qualitative research methods in the rehabilitation clinical environment.
Keywords
wearable robotic exoskeletons, spinal cord injury, interpretative phenomenologial analysis, disability studies, undergraduate students
Exoskeletons For Spinal Cord Injury: A User-centered Study
1047
A wearable robotic exoskeleton (WRE) is a new technology that makes it possible for people with spinal cord injury (SCI) to stand upright and walk. WRE promise to help people with SCI be more mobile, and potentially get more satisfaction from life. Research so far has focused mostly on “Do WRE actually work?” versus “How can people with SCI best use this new technology?” Little is known about how to best use WRE, which kinds, for which persons with SCI, and for what purposes. The goal of this study is to better understand, using interpretative phenomenological analysis, the experiences that people with SCI, their family members/caregivers, and their clinicians have had with WRE and to understand their priorities for WRE use. We will present preliminary findings from the study, as well as our experiences teaching undergraduate disability studies students qualitative research methods in the rehabilitation clinical environment.
Comments
This work is supported by a psychosocial research fellowship grant from the Craig H. Neilsen Foundation.