Patient and Therapist Experiences of the SaeboFlex: A Pilot Study.
Larissa Andriske, Debbie Verikios, Danielle Hitch
PMID 29097972WHAT IT FOUND
Patients and occupational therapists described the SaeboFlex as helpful for upper-limb practice and motivation.
They also reported barriers: fitting, needing help to put it on and take it off, too many repetitions, and cost. It was used with e-stim, wrist bracing, splinting, and/or casting.
Key findings
01Patients described mostly positive experiences with the SaeboFlex, with frustration about fitting as the main negative response.
02Patients reported doing more with the device, and therapists reported motivation as the main benefit.
03Therapists reported barriers including help needed to put on and take off the orthosis, home programs that were too much, and cost.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
Only 11 patients and 5 therapists were included, and all came from the same regional health service. All patient participants had experienced a stroke, so the findings do not cover other neurological diagnoses. There was no control group, so the reported improvements cannot be objectively measured. Patients were also using e-stim, wrist bracing, splinting, and/or casting, so the contribution of any single component cannot be separated. Therapist regimens varied in duration, session length, repetitions, and time after injury, which makes it hard to know what to copy. This was a pilot study, so it is mainly about experience and uptake, not tested effectiveness.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as evidence that the SaeboFlex alone improves hand function. Patients were also using e-stim, wrist bracing, splinting, and/or casting, there was no control group, and the study was a small pilot of experiences.