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Trajectory of assistive device usage and user and non-user characteristics: long-handled bath sponge
Joan C Rogers1, Margo B Holm, Lynette Perkins
1Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, USA. jcr@pitt.edu
Objectives:
To examine use of an assistive device, a long-handled bath sponge (LHBS) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis to describe use from the time of in-hospital prescription to the 2- and 12-month followups, and to describe the characteristics of those who became device users and non-users.
Methods:
Patients (n = 102) who were prescribed a LHBS during hospitalization were followed prospectively. The clinical and psychosocial assessment included disease, physical and psychosocial factors, and disability.
Results:
The overall usage rate for the LHBS was 86%. When compared with users, non-users had fewer arthritic joints, perceived greater control over their disability and pain, and had less favorable perceptions of the LHBS. Characteristics that did not differentiate non-users from users were sociodemographic variables, disease duration, movement capability, level of disability and pain, and general perceptions of assistive devices.
Conclusion:
The results support the early identification of patients who are likely to become non-users so that acceptable alternative interventions can be planned.