Are Functional Measures Sufficient to Capture Acceptance? A Qualitative Study on Lower Limb Exoskeleton Use for Older People

Bibliographic Data

ID21199331
AuthorsMaría Del Río Carral (0000-0002-1676-3964, University of Lausanne, corresponding author), Vanlisa Bourqui (University of Lausanne), Noémie Vuilleumier (University of Lausanne), Amalric Ortieb (Ecole polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne), Mohamed Bouri (0000-0003-1083-3180, Ecole polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne)
Year2022
Volume14
Issue3
Pages603-616
Publication date2022-04-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueInternational Journal of Social Robotics (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1875-4791 • E-ISSN: 1875-4805
PublisherSpringer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1007/s12369-021-00810-9
OpenAlexW3186773997
LanguageEN
Citations received3
References cited43

Lower limb exoskeletons (LLE) are robotic devices developed to assist walk. In the field of healthcare, this technology has been available for almost a decade, yet it still faces important acceptance issues. While LLE were first developed for patients with spinal cord injuries, we expect their use to expand to everyday settings to benefit other populations, namely that of older people with reduced mobility (RM). We propose a qualitative approach to unearth key psychosocial themes on the acceptance of LLE in daily living for older people. The study analyses perceptions of older people with RM, as well as their entourage, including informal and professional caregivers. Using a grounded theory approach we analysed 12 semi-structured interviews with older people with RM; 2 focus groups with informal caregivers, and 2 focus groups with professional caregivers. LLE were introduced to participants through photo-elicitation. Older people with RM believed that LLE would increase their autonomy. They also perceived that using LLE would make them feel less of a burden for their entourage. Beyond these expected benefits, results captured participants’ ambivalence, dependent on their experiences of the ageing process and perceptions on the human–machine interaction. Informal caregivers highlighted that LLE could provide important relief related to the burden of care. Nonetheless, professional caregivers raised the fear of LLE leading to dehumanization of care. While each group had specific concerns on how LLE use would impact their lives, psychosocial considerations played a key role in LLE acceptance

Ambivalence · Autonomy · Dehumanization · Focus group · Grounded theory · Health care · Perception · Psychosocial · Psychotherapist · Qualitative research · Sociology · Applied Psychology · Prosthetics and Rehabilitation Robotics · Psychology · Social Psychology · Spinal Cord Injury Research · Stroke Rehabilitation and Recovery