A Collaboration Between Game Developers and Rehabilitation Researchers to Develop a Web-Based App for Persons With Physical Disabilities: Case Study.
Alexandra L Terrill, Justin J MacKenzie, Maija Reblin and 3 others
PMID 31573927WHAT IT FOUND
Rehabilitation researchers, game developers, and stakeholders developed a web app for people with spinal cord injury.
The report describes accessibility choices and team lessons, not evidence that the app improves mental health or well-being.
Key findings
01The team included occupational therapists with adaptive technology and spinal cord injury expertise as stakeholders.
02The problem statement and solution statement addressed people with spinal cord injury and their care partners.
03The team targeted higher-level spinal cord injuries above C6, and including all accessibility options would have exceeded budget and timeline.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
This is a single development case study, not a trial, so it cannot show that the app improves mental health or well-being. The text does not report patient outcome data, how many people tested the prototype, or the results of that testing. The app was scoped for higher-level spinal cord injuries above C6 and a limited set of accessibility features, so it may not fit people with lower-level injuries or different assistive technology needs. The original paper-based intervention was developed for couples coping with stroke, while the app was framed for spinal cord injury, so the match to the target group is not fully tested. The report is based on one team's experience, so the lessons may not transfer to every institution. No funding source is stated in the supplied text.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The supplied text does not state who funded the work.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as evidence that the app improves mental health or well-being. It reports a development process and prototype testing, not patient outcomes or a comparison group.