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OBJECTIVE: To develop a checklist that guides the requirements necessary for public digital platforms in providing AT, based on the WHO-proposed "The WHO-GATE 5P framework" and the Global Report on Assistive Technology. METHODS: A qualitative descriptive research approach was employed consisting of 4 stages: 1) Construction of the checking tool, 2) Discussion of the checklist by a group of three researchers until a final proposal was reached, 3) Analysis of the checklist by two external researchers with experience in AT research and services, 4) Analysis of the suggestions and formatting of the final version of the checklist. Three of the authors/researchers conducted a documental analysis of the "WHO-GATE 5P framework" and Global Report on Assistive Technology, and two experts in research and AT services, performed the checklist analysis independently. RESULTS: The final version of the checklist with 25 items was created and made available in English and Portuguese version. Conclusion: This checklist based on the fundamentals of the assistive technology model centred on people, the "WHO-GATE 5P framework" and the Global Report on Assistive Technology provides direction for digital AT service delivery, delivery practices and data science in digital services aimed at addressing the needs of AT consumers, while supporting advancements in the provision of digital AT services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main objective of this protocol is to understand the effectiveness of the use of a mobile application (OcupApp) to generate a personal self-analysis about meaningful activities in a population of adults aged between 50 and 70 years with low or moderate depression/anxiety. A randomised study will be carried out comparing the effects of the use of the OcupApp application with a control intervention on health-related quality of life, mental health, frequency of participation on meaningful activities, and perceived occupational balance. This is the first study to use occupational self-analysis in m-health to improve occupational balance, mental health, frequency of participation in meaningful activities and health-related quality of life. The app was co-created with a population whose characteristics are similar to those of the target users, and it was tested in both the intervention itself and the presentation, thus it is expected to be effective. Trial Registration Number: Clinical Trial B1-2020_25 IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION: This is the first study to evaluate the impact of an app on occupational participation in people older than 50 years with mild-moderate anxiety and/or depression Introducing an occupational self-analysis app that helps people become aware of their occupations can improve health-related quality of life, mental health, frequency of participation on meaningful activities, and perceived occupational balance. OcupApp will allow people to go under occupational self-analysis process from home or any other place, maintaining the principles of the original programme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractIntroduction: To carry out meaningful activities contributes to individual wellbeing, so it is essential to have specific evaluation tools that can assess this difficult construct. The objective of this study was to validate a Spanish version (EDIAS) of the Engagement in Meaningful Activity Survey (EMAS) in health care students.Methods: This study was a validation study using a cross-sectional survey design. The empirical application of the instrument was carried out to obtain quantitative evidence on the internal consistency, the convergent validity and test-retest reliability.Results: The psychometric properties of the EDIAS were assessed in a sample of 98 Spanish college students. The EDIAS demonstrated high internal consistency as well as convergent validity, correlating it with measures of quality of life related to health and presence of meaning in life. The EDIAS showed similar test-retest reliability to the original English version of EMAS in older adults (r = .502; p < .001).Discussion: The results indicate that EDIAS is reliable and valid for assessment of meaningful activities in Spanish-speaking populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In clinical practice, patients' balance can be assessed using standard scales. Two of the most validated clinical tests for measuring balance are the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test and the MultiDirectional Reach Test (MDRT). Nowadays, inertial sensors (IS) are employed for kinematic analysis of functional tests in the clinical setting, and have become an alternative to expensive, 3Doptical motion capture systems. In daily clinical practice, however, IS-based setups are yet cumbersome and inconvenient to apply. Current depth cameras have the potential for such application, presenting many advantages as, for instance, being portable, low-cost and minimally-invasive. This paper aims at experimentally validating to what extent this technology can substitute IS for the parameterization and kinematic analysis of the TUG and the MDRT tests. Twenty healthy young adults were recruited as participants to perform five different balance tests while kinematic data from their movements were measured by both a depth camera and an inertial sensor placed on their trunk. The reliability of the camera's measurements is examined through the Interclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC), whilst the Pearson Correlation Coefficient (r) is computed to evaluate the correlation between both sensor's measurements, revealing excellent reliability and strong correlations in most cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BackgroundPostural instability is one of the major complications found in people who survive a stroke. Parameterizing the Functional Reach Test (FRT) could be useful in clinical practice and basic research, as this test is a clinically accepted tool (for its simplicity, reliability, economy, and portability) to measure the semistatic balance of a subject. ObjectiveThe aim of this study is to analyze the reliability in the FRT parameterization using inertial sensor within mobile phones (mobile sensors) for recording kinematic variables in patients who have suffered a stroke. Our hypothesis is that the sensors in mobile phones will be reliable instruments for kinematic study of the FRT. MethodsThis is a cross-sectional study of 7 subjects over 65 years of age who suffered a stroke. During the execution of FRT, the subjects carried two mobile phones: one placed in the lumbar region and the other one on the trunk. After analyzing the data obtained in the kinematic registration by the mobile sensors, a number of direct and indirect variables were obtained. The variables extracted directly from FRT through the mobile sensors were distance, maximum angular lumbosacral/thoracic displacement, time for maximum angular lumbosacral/thoracic displacement, time of return to the initial position, and total time. Using these data, we calculated speed and acceleration of each. A descriptive analysis of all kinematic outcomes recorded by the two mobile sensors (trunk and lumbar) was developed and the average range achieved in the FRT. Reliability measures were calculated by analyzing the internal consistency of the measures with 95% confidence interval of each outcome variable. We calculated the reliability of mobile sensors in the measurement of the kinematic variables during the execution of the FRT. ResultsThe values in the FRT obtained in this study (2.49 cm, SD 13.15) are similar to those found in other studies with this population and with the same age range. Intrasubject reliability values observed in the use of mobile phones are all located above 0.831, ranging from 0.831 (time B_C trunk area) and 0.894 (displacement A_B trunk area). Likewise, the observed intersubject values range from 0.835 (time B_C trunk area) and 0.882 (displacement A_C trunk area). On the other hand, the reliability of the FRT was 0.989 (0.981-0.996) and 0.978 (0.970-0.985), intrasubject and intersubject respectively. ConclusionsWe found that mobile sensors in mobile phones could be reliable tools in the parameterization of the Functional Reach Test in people who have had a stroke.

BackgroundStroke is the third-leading cause of death and the leading cause of long-term neurological disability in the world. Cognitive, communication, and physical weakness combined with environmental changes frequently cause changes in the roles, routines, and daily occupations of stroke sufferers. Educational intervention combines didactic and interactive intervention, which combines the best choices for teaching new behaviors since it involves the active participation of the patient in learning. Nowadays, there are many types of interventions or means to increase adherence to treatment. ObjectiveThe aim of this study is to enable patients who have suffered stroke and been discharged to their homes to improve the performance of the activities of daily living (ADL) in their home environment, based on advice given by the therapist. A secondary aim is that these patients continue the treatment through a reminder app installed on their mobile phones. MethodsThis study is a clinical randomized controlled trial. The total sample will consist of 80 adults who have suffered a stroke with moderate severity and who have been discharged to their homes in the 3 months prior to recruitment to the study. The following tests and scales will be used to measure the outcome variables: Barthel Index, the Functional Independence Measure, the Mini-Mental State Examination, the Canadian Neurological Scale, the Stroke Impact Scale-16, the Trunk Control Test, the Modified Rankin Scale, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, the Quality of Life Scale for Stroke, the Functional Reach Test, the Romberg Test, the Time Up and Go test, the Timed-Stands Test, a portable dynamometer, and a sociodemographic questionnaire. Descriptive analyses will include mean, standard deviation, and 95% confidence intervals of the values for each variable. The Kolmogov-Smirnov (KS) test and a 2x2 mixed-model analysis of variance (ANOVA) will be used. Intergroup effect sizes will be calculated (Cohen’s d). ResultsCurrently, the study is in the recruitment phase and implementation of the intervention has begun. The authors anticipate that during 2015 the following processes should be completed: recruitment, intervention, and data collection. It is expected that the analysis of all data and the first results should be available in early-to-mid 2016. ConclusionsAn educational intervention based on therapeutic home advice and a reminder app has been developed by the authors with the intention that patients who have suffered stroke perform the ADL more easily and use their affected limbs more actively in the ADL. The use of reminders via mobile phone is proposed as an innovative tool to increase treatment adherence in this population. Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT01980641; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01980641 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6WRWFmY6U).