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Background Power assisted exercise is accessible and acceptable for people with stroke. The potential for technological advancement of the equipment to improve the user experience has been identified. Involvement of end users and service providers in the design of health technologies is essential in determining how said technology is perceived and adopted. This project invited people with stroke and service providers to influence design features and determine machine selection in the preliminary stages of a codesign research programme. Aims To capture the perspectives of people with stroke and professionals working with people with stroke about proposed digitalisation of power assisted exercise equipment and select machines for prototype development. Methods Nominal group technique was used to capture the perspectives, ideas, preferences and priorities of three stakeholder groups: people with stroke (n = 3, mean age 66 years), rehabilitation professionals (n = 3) and exercise scientists (n = 3). Two questions underpinned the structure of the events; ‘What does an assistive exercise machine need to do to allow the person with stroke to engage in exercise?’ and ‘Which machines would you prioritise for use with People with Stroke?’ Attendees were invited to cast votes to indicate their preferred machines. Findings Synthesis of the data from the NGT identified four domains; software and interface, exercise programme, machine and accessories, setting and service. Three preferred machines from a range of nine were identified through vote counting. Conclusion Nominal group technique directed the selection of machines to be included in the development of the proposed technology. The vision shared by users during the structured discussion shaped the subsequent steps in the design and testing of the new technology. Patient and service provider contribution The opinions and preferences of people with stroke, rehabilitation professionals and exercise scientists were central to key decisions which will shape the digitalisation of power assisted equipment, influence future research and guide implementation of the new technologies., Plain English Summary Seated power assisted exercise machines assist different combinations of movement and can help people with stroke to take part in exercise programmes. Nine seated machines are manufactured in the UK. It was identified that the machines could be improved through development of technology to detect and display the user’s physical effort during exercise. The research team successfully applied for funding to design and develop a new programme to display and measure user effort whilst exercising on the equipment. At the outset of the project the research team needed to make decisions about the capabilities of the new technology and select three machines from the range of nine to be prototyped. We used a method called nominal group technique during which end users with stroke, rehabilitation and exercise professionals were invited to structured meetings to share their ideas. At the end of the meetings the groups voted on their preferred machines. The ideas expressed during the meetings were listed and guided the ongoing development of the technology. The importance of a user-friendly interface was emphasised. The three machines which were allocated the most votes across the user groups were selected to be redesigned and developed with the new technology. The involvement of users at the outset of the design project ensured that they directly influenced the selection of machines and features of the new technology. Nominal group technique was an effective way of ensuring that all attendees had the opportunity to share their ideas and perspectives.

Purpose\ud \ud People who have complex communication needs (CCN), and who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) to help them express themselves, can be difficult to engage in decision making about their healthcare. The purpose of this review was to identify what patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) have been employed with people who use AAC. Of the tools identified, the review aimed to establish what conceptual frameworks were used and how the reports describe completion of the PROM.\ud \ud \ud \ud Methods\ud \ud A systematic literature review was carried out. A pre-defined set of search terms was entered into five main health and education databases. Titles and abstracts were sifted for relevance. Full text papers were screened against inclusion/exclusion criteria. Data pertaining to the type and nature of the PROM used was extracted. Complementary data sources were analysed to construct a narrative synthesis of the papers identified.\ud \ud \ud \ud Results\ud \ud Within 15 papers that met the review criteria, 25 PROMs were used with people who rely on AAC comprising of 15 separate measures. The conceptual frameworks for 12 of these tools were reported from which 62 items, or concepts being measured, were identified. Following synthesis of these items, 9 conceptual domains and 11 sub-domains were generated. Limited information was available about who completed the PROM nor how much, if any, support they received.\ud \ud \ud \ud Conclusions\ud \ud No PROM that has been developed specifically for people who use AAC was identified by this review. Of the tools that have been used with people who use AAC, the concepts measured were broad and varied. The quality of reporting concerning who completed the PROM was limited, undermining the trustworthiness of many of the studies.