Occupational Therapy (OT) can help enhance human performance and well-being through assistive technology (AT). This entails guiding clients through the AT selection and acquisition process down to helping them integrate these tools’ use as supports to their day-to-day living. Unfortunately, the AT prescription and acquisition process can be tedious, costly, complicated, and uncoordinated in some countries such as the Philippines. AT service delivery is an undeveloped area of practice among Filipino occupational therapists due to the lack of local evidence-based research, practice models, and practical knowledge of the process. Moreover, access to AT is affected by economic factors and by some Filipinos’ negative attitudes towards assistive devices as being a validation of one’s incapacitation. The SAKLAY is a service delivery framework that was created to offer a practical and systematic guide to Filipino occupational therapists who render AT services for persons with disabilities (PWD) that takes into account the client’s needs, resources, abilities, and contexts.
Occupational Therapy ; Assistive Technology ; Philippines

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate changes in activity of daily living before and after provision of electric-powered indoor/outdoor chair (EPIOC), discuss problems of current activities of daily living (ADL) evaluating tools for EPIOC users, and provide preliminary data to develop ADL evaluation tool for EPIOC user. METHODS: A total of 70 users who were prescribed EPIOC and had been using for more than 1 year were recruited in this study. Before and after provision of EPIOC, MBI and FIM scores were measured and a questionnaire consisting of six categories (general socioeconomic states, currently using state, whether EPIOC was helpful for social participation and occupational chances, psychiatric influences, self-reported degrees of independency, and barriers of using EPIOC) was used. RESULTS: No difference in MBI scores before and after provision of EPIOC was observed. However, the wheelchair ambulation category showed a significant difference. While motor FIM was not significantly different from MBI, FIM score were significantly (p<0.05) higher than MBI. For questions regarding social participation frequency, helpfulness of EPIOC on confidence, refreshing patients' emotions and self-reported degrees of independence, all of them showed positive responses. Especially, EPIOC users' self-reported degree of independency showed favorable results. There was discrepancy in MBI or FIM measured by physicians. CONCLUSION: Our study showed that there was a gap between the existing ADL evaluation tool and the ADL level that EPIOC users were actually feeling. Thus, it is necessary to develop an evaluation tool specifically for EPIOC.
Activities of Daily Living ; Disability Evaluation ; Self-Help Devices ; Social Participation ; Walking ; Wheelchairs ; Surveys and Questionnaires

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficiency of powered wheelchair and scooter and to investigate the factors affecting the accidents and injuries. METHOD: We investigated 90 subjects with mobility disability who had used powered wheelchair or scooter more than a year. The subjects responded to a questionnaire of the 34 items. RESULTS: Seventy (77.7%) of respondents used powered wheelchair or scooter more than 3 days a week. More than 50% of them regarded the obstacles such as curbs or thresholds as the most common hindering factor to outside mobility. The causes of breakdown were due to battery, wheel, gear box and motor. About a third of 58 respondents were dissatisfied with the result of repair. The high cost of the repair was regarded as the leading cause of dissatisfaction. Contusions were the most common, with abrasion and sprain accounting for most of the remainder. Of the 18 users who were affected by injuries, only 11.1% wore a safety seatbelt. Only 25 of 89 respondents had a safety education. CONCLUSION: Our study showed that the efficiency of power wheelchair and scooter was relatively high. But the obstacles such as curbs, recurrent breakdown, and concerns about the accident were regarded as the hindering factors to the outside mobility. The degree of satisfaction to the safety education is relatively low, so more systemic and practical programs need to be devised.
Accounting ; Contusions ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Questionnaires ; Self-Help Devices ; Sprains and Strains ; Wheelchairs

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate the current state of the assistive devices and appliances provision system for cerebral palsy patients registered with brain disability. METHODS: From 2003 to 2013, we analyzed the records of cerebral palsy patients who had assistive devices and appliances provisioned at least once in their lives based on National Health Information Database. Patients with cerebral palsy were divided into three groups: infants and toddlers, school age and adolescence, and adults. RESULTS: Data on short leg plastic orthoses, ankle joint orthoses, and wheelchair were mainly analyzed. The types of ankle joint orthoses divided into three categories: limited, 90° limited, and Klenzac. Limited ankle joint orthoses was most frequently supported of the three in all age groups. Powered wheelchair and scooter were most supported to adult patients. When the re-supply duration was evaluated, the duration was suitable to the duration on guideline of regulation of re-supplement according to the related laws in adult patients but not in infants/toddlers and school age/adolescence as the actual re-supplement duration was much shorter than the reference value. CONCLUSION: This study confirmed the pattern of assistive devices and appliances supply differed depending on the age of cerebral palsy patients.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Ankle Joint ; Brain ; Cerebral Palsy ; Foot Orthoses ; Humans ; Infant ; Jurisprudence ; Korea ; Leg ; Orthotic Devices ; Plastics ; Reference Values ; Self-Help Devices ; Wheelchairs

Locked-in Syndrome is a severe pontine stroke causing quadriplegia, lower cranial nerve paralysis, and mutism with preservation of only vertical gaze and upper eyelid movement in a conscious patient. We present a case of a Locked-in Syndrome patient who received communication training with augmentative and alternative communication equipment by using eye blinks. After 3 weeks of training, the patient was able to make an attempt to interact with other people, and associate a new word by Korean alphabet selection. Augmentative and alternative communication equipment which uses eye blinks might be considered to be beneficial in improving the communication skills of locked-in syndrome patients.
Communication Aids for Disabled ; Cranial Nerves ; Eye ; Eyelids ; Humans ; Mutism ; Paralysis ; Quadriplegia ; Stroke

OBJECTIVE: Symptomatic chronic subdural hematoma(CSDH) is a well-known neurosurgical entity and most of the lesion is managed by surgical treatment. The authors analyze the surgical indication and the treatment results of twist drill craniostomy with closed-system drainage(TDD) for the symptomatic CSDH. METHODS: From March 2001 through December 2003, 31patients who were treated with TDD for the symptomatic CSDH and followed more than 6months were included. The radiologic criteria of TDD in this study were 1) homogeneous density of hematoma on computed tomography(CT), 2) no septation of hematoma on magnetic resonance imaging(MRI), and 3) thicker hematoma more than twice thickness of skull. Surgical procedures were performed on the maximum thickness of hematoma on CT/MRI. Short and long Steinman pins were used to penetrate the skull and hematoma membrane. As the 5L catheter was inserted through the drill hole, it was kept for 1-7days for the drainage of CSDH. The patients of CSDH were followed with clinical symptoms and CT studies. RESULTS: Most of all the 31 patients were improved. However, one patient was suffered from postoperative epidural hematoma and the other patients have received the secondary operation because of the recurrence of CSDH on 3 months after initial surgery. CONCLUSION: TDD is safe procedure for the symptomatic CSDH if the patients are selected appropriately.
Catheters ; Communication Aids for Disabled ; Drainage* ; Hematoma ; Hematoma, Subdural, Chronic* ; Humans ; Membranes ; Recurrence ; Skull

In this paper, we used the eletrotactile vision substitution system designed by ourselves to display Chinese characters on the 16x16 electrode array through some simple image processing algorithms and multiplexing technology. Based on this, simple Chinese character recognition experiment was conducted. The result of the experiment shows that the electrotactile vision substitution is a feasible solution for the blind to read simple Chinese characters and the result also solidifies the foundation of further study about more complex real-time image electrotactile display.
Algorithms ; Communication Aids for Disabled ; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted ; Language ; Touch ; Vision, Ocular

This paper introduces one of the young, energetic and rapidly growing research fields in biomedical engineering-Brain-computer interface (BCI) technology, which can provide augmentative communication and control capabilities to patients with severe motor disabilities. We summarize the first two international meetings for BCI, and present the most typical research fruits. The problems in current studies and the direction for future investigation are analyzed.
Brain ; physiology ; Communication Aids for Disabled ; Electroencephalography ; instrumentation ; Humans ; Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted ; instrumentation ; User-Computer Interface

Brain-computer interface (BCI) can establish a direct communications pathway between the human brain and the external devices, which is independent of peripheral nerves and muscles. Compared with invasive BCI, non-invasive BCI has the advantages of low cost, low risk, and ease of operation. In recent years, using non-invasive BCI technology to control devices has gradually evolved into a new type of human-computer interaction manner. Moreover, the control strategy for BCI is an essential component of this manner. First, this study introduced how the brain control techniques were developed and classified. Second, the basic characteristics of direct and shared control strategies were thoroughly explained. And then the benefits and drawbacks of these two strategies were compared and further analyzed. Finally, the development direction and application prospects for non-invasive brain control strategies were suggested.
Humans ; Electroencephalography ; Brain-Computer Interfaces ; Communication Aids for Disabled ; User-Computer Interface ; Brain/physiology*

In Republic of Korea, there are many Quality Assurance protocol for general radiation treatment machine such as linac. However, Quality Assurance protocol for radiosurgery treatment system is not ready perfectly. One of the radiation treatment machine for radiosurgery, novalis system needs to suitable Quality Assurance protocol for using it right way during radiation treatment and maintaining suitable accuracy for daily, weekly, monthly and annually periods. Therefore, in this article, we develop Quality Assurance protocol for novalis system. We collected and analysed domestic and foreign novalis Quality Assurance protocol. After that, we selected essential QA items and each tolerance range for developing proper QA protocol, and we made anatomical phantom for execution of selected QA items and evaluation of overall state of QA, and then, we use this measured value as a reference. Quality Assurance items are consisted of Mechanical accuracy QA part and Radiation delivery QA part. Mechanical accuracy QA part is comprised of radiation generation machine part, assistive devices part and multi-leaf collimator part. Radiation delivery QA part is divided into radiation isocenter accuracy and dosimetric evaluation. After that, developed novalis QA tables are made by using these QA items. These novalis QA tables would be used to good standard in order to maintain apt accuracy for radiosurgery in daily, weekly, monthly and annually periods.
Dimaprit ; Radiosurgery ; Republic of Korea ; Self-Help Devices