Suchergebnisse

One of the cornerstones of the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) initiative is access to essential medicines andhealth technologies. Medical devices assistive devices and eHealth solutions are important components ofhealth technology which have the potential to save lives and improve quality of life and well-being. However too many people worldwide suffer because they don't have access to high quality affordable health technologywith the problem being more acute in low- and middle-income countries. The objective of the compendium series of innovative medical devices assistive devices and eHealth

Lower extremity assistive devices (LEADs) have been developed in various fields, such as rehabilitation, military, and industry, in the form of exoskeleton robots or treadmills, and most of them are aimed at supporting muscle strength. However, unlike the aforementioned fields, the objective of LEADs developed in the space field is to provide resistance training to prevent muscle atrophy, which is a problem that arises in astronauts during long-duration space flights. Because the purpose of a LEAD is different from those of systems that are intended for use under Earth gravity (1 g) condition, other factors should be considered for the system design. In this study, the appropriate locations and types of actuators for reproducing the kinematics and muscle-related state variables observed in 1 g normal walking in a microgravity environment were proposed, and the corresponding control inputs obtained using a dynamic optimization simulation method. In detail, two actuation types were proposed, considering the characteristics of a microgravity environment in which both the magnitude of the gravitational acceleration and the ground reaction force were decreased. Moreover, by using the proposed actuating system, the control inputs required to track kinematics data and muscle activity were obtained. A human lower-limb model, with six degrees of freedom, i.e., an 18-muscle model with the pelvis fixed, was used with ideal actuators to apply torques or forces to joints or soles. Dynamic optimization was performed to solve these problems using direct collocation with OpenSim and MATLAB. Using the two proposed types of actuation, the results agreed with the kinematics and muscle activity of 1 g normal walking, and the total joint torques by the muscles also exhibited similar curves to that of the net joint torques under 1 g normal walking. The results of this study suggested an actuation method and its control input that can be used in the design of a LEAD for resistance training in microgravity.

Since 1989-1990, Vlibank is the Flemish AT information database managed by the Flemish government and aims to have a complete overview of AT devices in Flanders. The growing AT market increases the need for unbiased information on AT. However, maintaining and keeping a database up-to-date is a very challenging task. Because of recent changes in policy, the Flemish government needs to be able to reimburse a bigger group of AT devices, but also the changing needs of a larger group of people, regardless of their age. Because the crucial role of an AT information database in the selection of AT devices and the effectiveness of the service delivery, a functional analysis of an online information database is made. This paper describes the qualitative part of the study, in particular the focus groups that were held to gather views of three groups of stakeholders. Preliminary results indicate that there is consensus on the information needs next to product information and on the use of generic questions as a selection tool for AT devices. The biggest issue raised is the difficulty of keeping an information database up-to-date, especially for individualized devices. All participants, except one, are very wary of the use of user ratings and reviews.

Objective: Muscle activity with and without the use of commercially available patient assistive devices during bed rising and lowering was quantified. Background: Limited research is available in understanding or evaluating the physical benefits of assistive devices for patient use following major abdominal surgery. Methods: Twenty healthy participants (9 men, 11 women) took part in a laboratory study to test the effects of device configuration (five levels) and bed elevation angle (0° and 30°) on mean and peak upper and lower rectus abdominis and external oblique concentric and eccentric muscle activity. Results: Reduced muscle activity was associated with the use of an assistive device, as compared with manual bed rising (unassisted). Positioning the devices at a higher anchor height and/or increasing the bed elevation angle further reduced muscle activity. Objective and subjective differences between the two assistive devices evaluated in the study were found. Conclusion: These results suggest that self-assistive devices may speed recovery because of reduced loads on damaged tissues. Application: Potential applications of this research include the assessment of other commercially available lift aids or comparisons of self-assistive lift aids with hospital-housed lift aids used to speed recovery rates.