Comparing the Attentional Demands and Functional Outcomes of Pattern Recognition and Direct Myoelectric Control in People with Transradial Amputation
Abstract
Objectives and Rationale: The human hand is a powerful tool, responsible for various sophisticated movements ranging from precision tasks to powerful grips. However, a significant proportion of individuals with upper limb loss use a prosthetic device in only a limited capacity or abandon it completely. Disuse or abandonment occur, in part, because users need to focus their attention on the limb while using a prosthesis and because they are not satisfied with the functional abilities of the device. Pattern recognition control of an upper limb prosthesis allows a user to more easily control the device and could improve the user’s experience and reduce the likelihood of disuse or abandonment. A well-designed clinical trial to examine the potential benefits of pattern recognition control compared to standard-of-care direct control is needed to understand the benefits to pattern recognition control. Furthermore, a health survey to easily assess how much a user has to pay attention while using a prosthetic device would assist in this clinical evaluation. Applicability and Impact of the Research: The proposed research is highly relevant to the care of Service Members and Veterans with upper limb loss. A rigorous clinical trial like that proposed for this project will provide important information about the advantages and disadvantages of different methods for controlling an upper limb prosthetic device. At the same time, a survey of attention for upper limb prosthesis users would assess function in a way other measures do not. As an extension to the widely used Prosthetic Limb Users Survey (PLUS) measurement system, the new survey could be easily adopted for use by the many clinics within the Amputee System of Care (ASoC), military treatment facilities, and in the general public to help in providing a more comprehensive assessment of users’ functional capabilities than existing functional measures alone. Type of Patients Helped by the Research: Approximately 41,000 persons in the United States were living with major upper limb loss in 2005. Well-designed clinical trials and assessments are essential to fully understanding the impact of emerging prosthetic technology on the abilities and needs of Service Members and Veterans with limb loss. Clinical Applications, Benefits, and Risks: New knowledge about how different upper limb prosthetic control strategies affect users and a validated survey of attention will help inform clinical decisions, improve documentation, and facilitate assessment of interventions intended to improve function, use, and satisfaction among Service Members and Veterans with limb loss. The risks to the study participants are minimal as the study will only involve responding to survey questions and completion of established clinical tests routinely used in assessing physical performance. Projected Timeline: The full scope of the study will require 4 years to complete. However, we anticipate that by year 2, the survey to measure attention will be freely available for use in clinical practice and research. Benefit to Service Members and Veterans: We are committed to improving Service Members’ and Veterans’ rehabilitation and health care through ongoing research focusing on individuals with limb loss. The clinical trial we will conduct and finalized measure we produce are consistent with the Orthotics and Prosthetics Outcomes Research Program Prosthesis Strategic Goals to optimize patient-specific technology prescription and support standardized assessment of patient outcomes related to prosthetics. The clinical trial results could help address the gap in understanding about the benefits of different prosthetic control strategies that leaves Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs providers unsure how to best serve the individual needs of our Service members and Veterans with upper limb loss. Furthermore, an assessment of attention to the prosthesis has specific relevance to Serv
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Jan 04, 2024
- Source ID
- HT94252310259
Entities
People
- Benjamin J Darter
Organizations
- United States Army
- Virginia Commonwealth University