A USER CENTRED DESIGN APPROACH TO ASSESSING THE SPINE AND SEATING FOR NON-AMBULANT CEREBRAL PALSY CHILDREN.

The purpose was to develop an objective measurement system to assist in the prescription of supportive seating for non-ambulant cerebral palsy children with scoliosis. Currently the prescription of patient’s bespoke seating setup relies on clinical skills and knowledge of trained seating staff (physiotherapists and engineers). Therefore to develop an objective measurement system to supplement this clinical approach, a user centred design approach was used. Standard design processes presented in Pahl’s ‘Engineering Design’ (2007) were adopted, allowing in depth user involvement. Stakeholders (clinical, seating, and technical staff) were interviewed to develop requirements lists for each group. Following each development stage; task clarification; concepts; embodiment; detailed design; manufacture; and commissioning, these requirements were reviewed with stakeholders. Requirements lists were collated to form the device specification, involving all stakeholders allowed the discussion of contradicting requirements. The final design incorporated critical aspects of seating while measuring important outcomes such as force distribution and spinal deformities. A user centred design approach allowed for informative decision making from stakeholders, highlighting the fundamental requirements and facilitated effective solutions to meet these requirements. The manufactured device complies with the collaborated specification, utilising stakeholder defined spinal and seating parameters. This was commissioned for use in a pilot study involving twenty non-ambulant cerebral palsy children aged 5–11 years, with high risk of scoliosis. Ethics approval: Ethics approval granted by Leeds (West) Research Ethics Committee COREC number: 08/H1307/22 Interest Statement: None