Enhancement of Operational Efficiencies for People With High Cervical Spinal Cord Injuries Using a Flexible Integrated Pointing Device Apparatus

Chen C-L, Chen H-C, Cheng P-T, Chen C-Y, Chen H-C, Chou S-W. Enhancement of operational efficiencies for people with high cervical spinal cord injuries using a flexible integrated pointing device apparatus.ObjectiveTo investigate the effectiveness of a universal integrated pointing device apparatus (IPDA), which can integrate numerous commercial pointing devices and can be controlled by various combinations of available movements, for people with cervical spinal cord injury (SCI) who cannot operate standard computer pointing devices.DesignAn exploratory quasi-experimental design. All subjects were required to perform specific mouse-operating (continuous-clicking, target-acquisition, drag-and-drop) tasks. People with SCI received clinical assessments and were classified into 2 groups based on pointing device used: group A, who used standard mouse devices, and group B (IPDA combinations), who were unable to use standard mouse devices. The measures of group A and group B were compared.SettingRehabilitation science center of a medical institution.ParticipantsThirty-seven people with high cervical SCI and 30 able-bodied subjects.InterventionThe IPDA.Main Outcome MeasuresThe efficiency of the people with SCI in each mouse-operation task was expressed as a percentage of that for able-bodied subjects (%NL).ResultsGroup B displayed similar operational efficiency in performing the drag-and-drop tasks (≈30% NL) to group A, although they exhibited worse efficiency than group A in performing the other tasks (P<.05). Operational efficiencies of all tasks had negative relationships with age by using linear regression analysis (adjusted r2>.36, P<.001). The use of pointing devices was associated with American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale (P<.001), completeness (P<.001), and muscle strength (P<.01), particularly finger flexor muscle strength, but not with neurologic level or muscle tone.ConclusionsThe IPDA could help most people with high cervical SCI who could not use commercial mouse devices to achieve acceptable operational efficiencies. Pointing devices were assigned based on the underlying SCI severity and muscle strength, particularly finger flexor muscle strength.