Golby, Christopher (2015) User-centred design of a task-oriented upper-limb assessment system for stroke. PhD thesis, University of Warwick.

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Abstract

During rehabilitation from Stroke, patients require assessment of their upper-limb motor control. Outcome measures can often be subjective and objective data is required to supplement therapist/patient opinion on progress. This can be performed through goniometry; however, goniometry can be time-consuming, have inaccuracies of ±23º, and is therefore, often not used.

Motion tracking technology is a possible answer to this problem, but can also be costly, time-consuming and not suitable for the clinical environment. This thesis aims to provide an objective, digital intervention method for assessing range of motion to supplement current outcome measures which is suitable for the clinical environment. This was performed by creating a low-cost technology through a user-centred design approach.

Requirements elicitation demonstrated that a motivational, portable, cost-effective, non-invasive, time saving system for assessing functional activities was needed.

Therefore, a system which utilised a Microsoft Kinect and EZ430 chronos wrist watch to track patient’s movements during and/or outside of therapy sessions was created. Measurements can be taken in a matter of minutes and provide a high quantity of objective data regarding patient movement.

The system was verified, using healthy volunteers, by showing similar error rates in the system across 3 weeks in 10 able-bodied individuals, with error rates produced by a physiotherapist using goniometry. The system was also validated in the clinical setting with 6 stroke patients, over 15 weeks, as selected by 6 occupational therapists and 3 physiotherapists in 2 NHS stroke wards.
The approach which has been created in this thesis is objective, repeatable, low-cost, portable, and non-invasive; allowing it to be the first tool for the objective assessment of upper-limb ROM which is efficiently designed and suitable for everyday use in stroke rehabilitation.

Item Type:	Thesis or Dissertation (PhD)
Subjects:	R Medicine > RA Public aspects of medicine
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Cerebrovascular disease -- Exercise therapy, Cerebrovascular disease -- Patients -- Rehabilitation, Joints -- Range of motion, Outcome assessment (Medical care)
Official Date:	May 2015
Dates:	Date Event May 2015 Submitted
Institution:	University of Warwick
Theses Department:	Warwick Manufacturing Group
Thesis Type:	PhD
Publication Status:	Unpublished
Supervisor(s)/Advisor:	Lewando Hundt, Gillian ; Arvanitis, Theodoros N.
Sponsors:	Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council ; Economic and Social Research Council (Great Britain)
Extent:	257 leaves : illustrations (colour)
Language:	eng

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