Impact of the width and shape of the sliding board on design evaluation.

This study aimed to investigate how width affects the design evaluation of sliding boards with a new shape. Ten caregivers at a senior facility evaluated five types of boards every two weeks. The new shape board received high ratings as the width increased, with a SUS (System Usability Scale) score of 68.5 points (95% CI 60.6-76.4). Compared to the traditional rectangular board, which had a width of 250 mm and a thickness of 5 mm, the new shape board (with a central width of 163 mm and a thickness of 8 mm) received higher ratings by 0.68 points (95% CI 0.31-1.05)using a paired comparison method. The results of a quantitative study on the usability of sliding boards from the perspective of caregivers indicated that for similar board shapes with a length of 650 mm and a thickness of 8 mm, the evaluation increases as the width increases in the range of 130 mm to 163 mm at the center.

A prediction model of functional outcome at 6 months using clinical findings of a person with traumatic spinal cord injury at 1 month after injury.

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective statistical analysis of database. OBJECTIVES: Prediction of the Spinal Cord Independence Measure version III Total Score (SCIM-TS) at 6 months after injury based on physical findings at 1 month after injury is an important index for rehabilitation approach in the recovery phase. SETTING: Spinal Injuries Center, Fukuoka, Japan. METHODS: The study participants were selected from patients with traumatic spinal cord injuries who were registered in the Japan Single Center Study for Spinal Cord Injury Data Base (JSSCI-DB) of the Japan Spinal Injuries Center specializing in spine and spinal cord injuries. Of the 534 participants registered with the JSSCI-DB between January 2012 and October 2018, we retrospectively extracted 137 participants for 6 months after injury, and these participants were included in this study. RESULTS: According to multiple regression analysis, SCIM-TS at 6 months after injury could be predicted based on only six variables, i.e., age at injury, three key muscles (C6 wrist extensors, C8 finger flexors, and L3 knee extensors), and two mobility assessments (WISCI and SCIM-item13) (Adjusted R-Squared: 0.83). These six independent variables were significant factors reflecting SCIM-TS at 6 months. CONCLUSIONS: In rehabilitation after traumatic spinal cord injuries, a simple and reliable prognostic model can help accurately predict the achievable activity of daily living competency to set a goal. In addition, if the procedure is simple, evaluation can be completed in a short period of time, and the physical burden on both treating staff and patients can be reduced.