Using warning devices to improve pressure-relief

Abstract

Abstract. A training and monitoring system has been developed to train spinal cord injured patients to relieve pressure intermittently from ischium while sitting in wheel chairs. The system automates the training of wheelchair push-ups based on certain con ditioning principles. The system reminds the patient to do a push-up of a specified duration and at specified intervals. The frequency and the duration of the push-ups are monitored providing information about performance of the patients, especially when the alarms to remind the patients are disconnected. A long-term study is in hand to assess the effectiveness of the system.

Everyday sitting behavior of full-time wheelchair users

“…Measurements of wheelchair occupancy and transfers were consistent with prior work investigating wheelchair use for individuals who use a manual wheelchair [31][32][33]. The low frequency of complete off-loading, or PRs, has been indicated in previous studies [33,35]. Selfreported PR behaviors in the literature were less consistent with behavior measured in this study.…”

“…As expected, larger movements are typically done with a lower frequency than smaller movements. At this time, studies of the sitting behavior of wheelchair users have been limited to measurement of occupancy [29][30][31][32][33] or complete off-loadings [33][34][35] and a single pilot study that considered smaller movements but was never expanded to a full study [36].…”

Assistive technologies for self-managed pressure ulcer prevention in spinal cord injury: A scoping review

“…Furthermore, manufacturing improvements have significantly reduced the cost of IPM technology. The short-term effects of IPM technologies provide some evidence of increased compliance with pressure-relief schedules [45][46][47], whereas other studies had mixed or no effect [14,48]. However, it is also noted that decay in adherence with performing weight-relieving exercises may persist even when these alerting devices are used [14,48].…”

“…The short-term effects of IPM technologies provide some evidence of increased compliance with pressure-relief schedules [45][46][47], whereas other studies had mixed or no effect [14,48]. However, it is also noted that decay in adherence with performing weight-relieving exercises may persist even when these alerting devices are used [14,48]. To address nonadherence to alerts, two included studies evaluated the relative benefits of different feedback modalities (e.g., audio vs tactile [45]).…”

“…Established technologies aimed at self-managed care to reduce the risk of developing PUs focus on reducing pressure magnitudes and/or durations, such as reminding individuals to perform scheduled pressure relief [14][15] or employing mechanisms to assist with repositioning (e.g., tilt function for powered wheelchairs) [16]. With the expanding accessibility and sophistication of computing technologies, new opportunities for technological approaches to assist persons with SCI in self-managed care are emerging.…”