Application of the participatory design in the testing of a baropodometric insole prototype for weight-bearing asymmetry after a stroke: A qualitative study.
Wagner Rodrigues Galvão, Luana Karoline Castro Silva, Ramon Távora Viana and 6 others
PMID 38912104WHAT IT FOUND
One woman after stroke described a vibrating insole prototype as comfortable and felt she was walking more normally.
Shoe size and app faults were barriers.
Key findings
01The potential user reported the insole was comfortable and said she could see she was walking more normally.
02Shoe size was the predominant barrier, and the app had faults including measurement errors, data processing, misfit, wireless communication, and screen freezing.
03Participants proposed changes such as a waterproof, comfortable insole material, larger shoes, and user control of vibration intensity and location.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
Only one potential user was included, so the findings cannot show how a wider group of people after stroke would respond. The study reported perceptions and design requirements, not measured changes in weight-bearing asymmetry, gait, balance, or falls. Testing happened in a controlled clinical setting over a short period, not in the home or community. The prototype was under development, and the application had faults that could affect use. The team's speech predominated over the single user's speech, and the moderator was the prototype developer.
Declared interests
An author is a founding partner and board member of Visuri SA, which manufactures the baropodometric insole prototype. The other authors declared no conflicts of interest, and the authors received no financial support.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the user's report of walking more normally as proof that the insole corrects weight-bearing asymmetry. This was a qualitative prototype test with one user, no measured clinical outcome, and the app and shoe size were barriers.