Disclosures: Raymond C. Chou, MD: No financial relationships or conflicts of interest

Objective: To determine the frequency of and methodology of technology access in chronic stroke patients and how this affects their quality of life.

Design: Observational study. Setting : Outpatient rehabilitation network. Participants : 30 participants over age 18 with chronic stroke. (This study is in active recruitment and number of participants is expected to increase.)

Interventions: Participants completed a 65-question online questionnaire.

Main Outcome Measures: Percentage of participants using various electronic devices and assistive technology options.

Results: A majority of participants surveyed use a variety of electronic devices (smartphone: 80%; tablets: 62%; laptop computers: 59%) but report a change in either speed or accuracy with typing on these devices (standard keyboard: 72%; touchscreen keyboard: 45%). 55% of participants report a barrier obtaining access to assistive technology options, and a majority are not currently using assistive technology. Conclusions: Patients with chronic stroke tend to use standard electronic devices without assistive technology options at the detriment of speed or accuracy of device use. To our knowledge, no study to date has assessed the awareness of and use of consumer and assistive technology in the post-stroke population.

Level of Evidence: Level III

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PM&R Meeting Abstracts - https://pmrjabstracts.org/abstract/technology-access-in-chronic-stroke-patients-an-observational-study/