Consensus building for the development of guidelines for recommending mobility service dogs for people with motor impairments
Abstract
BACKGROUND:
According to recent research, mobility service dogs (MSD) improve grasping ability, autonomy in ADL, manual wheelchair propulsion, walking, transfers, psychosocial aspects, reintegration into normal life, and satisfaction with important occupations, and decrease pain in manual wheelchair users' shoulders/wrists. However, it remains a challenge for rehabilitation professionals to recommend MSD for different profiles of neurological disorders.
OBJECTIVE:
Formulate guidelines to support the decision-making process of rehabilitation professionals recommending MSD.
METHODS:
Focus groups with MSD experts (7 therapists, 4 trainers, 3 managers, 5 users) responded to four research questions. They had to formulate and prioritize criteria to inform the recommendation of MSD for three clinical cases: A-tetraplegia with powered wheelchair, B-paraplegia with manual wheelchair, and C-ambulatory (incomplete SCI or neurodegenerative disease).
RESULTS:
For the decision-making process of recommending MSD, six main variables were identified: scientific evidence cited (they are different among clinical cases), added value of MSD compared to other assistive devices (dissimilar among clinical cases), prioritization of personal (7), environmental (8) and canine (6) characteristics, and possible negative consequences in MSD user's life (stigmatization, resilience, care burden, authority or obedience).
CONCLUSIONS:
The results provide the basis for the development of clinical practice guidelines for occupational therapists and physiotherapists recommending MSD to individuals presenting various profiles of neurological disorders.
References
[1] | MIRA Foundation [Appication form assistance dog]. Québec. Canada. [updated 2016 August 18 cited (2016) August 3] Available from: http://www.mira.ca/en/programs/7/IMG/pdf/Application_for_an_assistance_dog_v3dec2009.pdf. |
[2] | Governement of Québec [homepage on the Internet]. Québec. Programme de remboursement de frais relatifs à l'utilisation d'un chien d'assistance à la motricité. [updated 2015 December 12; cited (2016) June 9] Available from: http://sante.gouv.qc.ca/programmes-et-mesures-daide/programme-de-remboursement-de-frais-utilisation-chien-assistance-a-la-motricite/. |
[3] | Blanchet M, , Gagnon DH, , Vincent C, , Boucher P, , Routhier F, , Martin-Lemoyne V. Effects of a Mobility Assistance Dog on the Performance of Functional Mobility Tests Among Ambulatory Individuals with Physical Impairments and Functional Disabilities. Assistive Technology. (2013) ; 25: (4): 247-52. |
[4] | Champagne A, , Gagnon DH, , Vincent C and members of the ADMI group. Comparison of cardiorespiratory demand and rate of perceived exertion during propulsion in a natural environment with and without the use of a mobility assistance dog in manual wheelchair users. American Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. (2016) ; 95: (9): 685-91. |
[5] | Gagnon DH, , Blanchet M, , Martin-Lemoyne V, , Vincent C, , Routhier F, , Corriveau H. Using a mobility assistance dog reduces upper limb effort during manual wheelchair ramp ascent in an individual with spinal cord injury. Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine (ISSN: 10790268). The journal of spinal cord medicine. (2015) ; 36: (6): 700-6. |
[6] | Hubert G, , Tousignant M, , Routhier F, , Corriveau H, , Champagne N. Effect of service dogs on manual wheelchair users with spinal cord injury: A pilot study. Journal of Rehabilitation Research & Development. (2013) ; 50: (3), 341-350. |
[7] | Martin-Lemoyne V, , Gagnon DH, , Routhier F, and ADMI group (Vincent C, ). To what extent can the use of a mobility assistance dog reduce upper limb efforts when manual wheelchair users ascend a ramp. Martin-Lemoyne V, , Gagnon DH, , Routhier F, and ADMI group (Vincent C). To what extent can the use of a mobility assistance dog reduce upper limb efforts when manual wheelchair users ascend a ramp. J Appl Biomech. (2016) ; 32: (2): 186-95. |
[8] | Vincent C, , Joyal I, , Gagnon DH, , Routhier F. Étude rétrospective transversale de l'utilisation d'un chien d'assistance à la motricité au Québec. Research report. Centre de documentation, Institut de réadaptation en déficience physique de Québec, Québec, QC, Canada, 46pp. Déposé au MSSS. (2012) . |
[9] | Vincent C, , Gagnon DH, , Routhier F, , Leblond J, , Boucher P, , Blanchet M, , Martin-Lemoyne V. Service dogs in the province of Quebec: sociodemographic profile of users and the dogs impact on functional ability. Disability and rehabilitation: Assistive technology. (2015) ; 10: (2): 132-40. |
[10] | Vincent C, , Gagnon DH, , Routhier F, , Dumont F, , Poissant L, , Corriveau H, , Tousignant M. Service Dogs for People with Spinal Cord Injury: Outcomes Regarding Functional Mobility and Important Occupations. Stud Health Technol Inform. (2015) ; 217: : 847-51. |
[11] | Fine AH. Handbook on animal - assisted therapy. Theoritical fondations and guidelins for practice. Third edition. Amsterdam: Elsevier. 588 pp. (2010) . |
[12] | Grudin J. Utility and usability: Research issues and development contexts. Interacting with Computers. (1992) ; 4: (2), 209-217. |
[13] | Mayhew D. The usability engineering lifecycle: A practitioner's handbook for user interface design. Morgan Kaufmann Publishers, San Francisco, (1999) . |
[14] | Scherer M. [homepage on the Internet]. Matching Person and Technology (MPT). Assessment Process. updated 2016 February 13; cited (2016) June 9]. Available from: http://www. matchingpersonandtechnology.com/mptdesc.html. |
[15] | Morgan, D.L. The focus group kit - Planning Focus Groups. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. (1998) . |
[16] | Braun V, , Clarke V. Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qual Res Psychol. (2006) ; 3: : 77-101. |
[17] | Mudge S, , Rewi D, , Channon A. Identifying an outcome measure to assess the impact of Mobility Dogs. Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology. (2015) . Available from DOI: 10.3109/17483107.2015.1079267. |
[18] | Rondeau L, , Corriveau H, , Bier N, , Camden C. Effectiveness of a rehabilitation dog in fostering gait retraining for adults with a recent stroke: A multiple single-case study. NeuroRehabilitation. (2010) ; 7: (2): 155-163. |
[19] | Krefting L. Rigor in qualitative research: the assessment of trustworthiness. American Journal of Occupational Therapy. (1991) ; 45: : 214-222. |
