Daily activity patterns of people provided with a dynamic arm support.

Dynamic arm supports are provided to support activities of daily living in people with limited upper extremity function. A cross-sectional study was performed in the Netherlands involving people who were provided with a dynamic arm support in 2012-2013. An adapted version of the Life-Habits questionnaire was used to assess daily activity patterns. Twenty-three subjects filled in the questionnaire. Tasks people perform themselves in daily life include tasks as eating, drinking, and communication tasks. Participants vary in the need for assistance in order to perform certain tasks. This individual character of daily activity performance is important to bear in mind during the provision of dynamic arm supports. More complex tasks in the field of personal care and household are often performed by caregivers. These are regarded a challenge for the field of assistive technology and/or robotics.

Effects and effectiveness of dynamic arm supports: a technical review.

Numerous dynamic arm supports have been developed in recent decades to increase independence in the performance of activities of daily living. Much effort and money have been spent on their development and prescription, yet insight into their effects and effectiveness is lacking. This article is a systematic review of evaluations of dynamic arm supports. The 8 technical evaluations, 12 usability evaluations, and 27 outcome studies together make 47 evaluations. Technical evaluations were often used as input for new developments and directed at balancing quality, forces and torques, and range of motion of prototypes. Usability studies were mostly single-measure designs that had varying results as to whether devices were usable for potential users. An increased ability to perform activities of daily living and user satisfaction were reported in outcome studies. However, the use of dynamic arm supports in the home situation was reported to be low. Gaining insight into why devices are not used when their developers believe them to be effective seems crucial for every new dynamic arm support developed. The methodological quality of the outcome studies was often low, so it is important that this is improved in the future.

An overview and categorization of dynamic arm supports for people with decreased arm function.

BACKGROUND: Assistive devices that augment arm function were already introduced during the polio era. Devices are still being developed, but a review has not been performed thus far. OBJECTIVE: To create an overview and categorize assistive devices facilitating arm function in activities of daily living for people with decreased arm function. STUDY DESIGN: Literature review. METHODS: A systematic review in three scientific literature databases. Conference proceedings, assistive technology databases, and references were searched and experts consulted. This resulted in a database of dynamic arm supports. Product information was added, and the devices were categorized. RESULTS: A total of 104 dynamic arm supports were found. These could be categorized as nonactuated devices (N = 39), passively actuated devices (N = 24), actively actuated devices (N = 34), or devices using the functional electrical stimulation principle (N = 7). Functionality analysis resulted in second-level categorization: tremor suppression, facilitation of anti-gravity movement, and assistance of specific joint motion. CONCLUSION: All devices could be ordered in a categorization of low complexity. Many have been developed; most have disappeared and have been succeeded by similar devices. Limitations of the devices found mainly concern interfacing and the range of motion facilitated. Future devices could make use of whatever residual strength is available in the users' arm for control. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The provided overview of devices in this article and the classification developed is relevant for practitioners seeking assistive solutions for their clients as it makes the range of developed solutions both accessible and comprehensible.

Dynamic arm supports: overview and categorization of dynamic arm supports for people with decreased arm function.

In the 1940s the wish for independent feeding in polio survivors has led to the development of the first dynamic arm supports. By now polio is eradicated, but persons with difficulty to perform activities of daily living due to a limited arm function still exist. Many devices aiming to support these persons have been developed in the past 70 years. A review making an inventory of devices developed was performed in scientific literature databases, conference proceedings, assistive technology databases and by consultation of experts. A total of 97 devices were found, and three main categories were recognized: the non-actuated devices (N=39), the passively-actuated devices (N=24) and the actively-actuated devices (N=34). Of the 97 devices encountered 43 devices were commercially available in October 2012, the lowest percentage found in the actively-actuated devices. This means that the more advanced systems are not (yet) available for users. The continuous efforts in developing new devices suggest there is potential for actively activated arm supports. Developing these into products ready for the market would be a first step in fulfilling this potential.