Biomedical engineering point of view on the implementation of rehabilitation technology: a qualitative study

ELOISA GARCÍA AÑINO; JUAN PEDRO ALONSO; PAOLA CATALFAMO FORMENTO

Health and Technology

Springer

Año: 2024

2190-7196

Purpose: There is a gap between the development of technological innovations forrehabilitation settings and the long-term adoption of the innovations in the settings. Thepurpose then is to study the developer´s perspectives on barriers and facilitators to theimplementation of technological innovations for rehabilitation in clinical settings.Methods: A qualitative research study was undertaken with biomedical engineersworking at university. Two focus groups were conducted with open-ended questions toexplore their perceptions of technology development and perceived barriers andfacilitators during implementation. The analysis included preliminary coding based onthe Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR), review anddiscussion of emerging themes.Results: Eleven technology developers (biomedical engineers, researchers) took partin the study. Among the main barriers identified were the fact that the source of theinnovations is the literature state of the art, and the underlying aim of the innovations isto provide an original solution. Also the results showed a lack of consensus regardingthe end user of the innovations and the lack of consideration of the characteristicsvalued by the clinic. Among the facilitators identified, the adaptability of the innovationsto the clinical setting stands out.Conclusions: In this group of developers there is a duality between the scientificoriginality of innovations and the transferable nature of these developments. This actsas a barrier to generating technology that meets user requirements. Working ininterdisciplinary teams is one of the best alternatives to achieve this.