MAMEM results on computer use aspects in patients with motor disabilities to appear in the 2nd Congress of the European Academy of Neurology (EAN’2016)

The purpose of this study is to assess computer contibution in social life and evey day activities as well as the impact of the disease on computer operation in patients
with motor disabilities.These are preliminary data for the MAMEM project (Multimedia Authoring and Management using your Eyes and Mind). Three groups of neurological patients were studied:a)25 patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD),b)23 patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) and c)19 with neuromuscular disorders ((NMD).All patients were assessed by means of two scales, one referring to the contribution of the computer in social life,everyday activities,emotional well-being (CCLS) [total score:9=not important/45=very important] and the other exploring the disease impact on various aspects of computer operation (DICOS) [total score:11=no effect/55=maximum effect]. Reliability of both scales was excellent (Cronbach’s alpha was 0.87 for CCLS and 0.93 for DICOS).Between groups comparisons showed that NMD patients regarded conputer use as most important and SCI patients had the major difficulty.Mean total scores (SD) were as follows for a)CCLS:PD patients=23.28(7.22);SCI patients=20.78(9.72);NMD patients=32.84(5.12) [p=0.000] and b)DICOS:PD patients=25.9(9.9);SCI patients=31.22(15.0);NMD patients=20.53(5.15)[p=0.017]. Our preliminary results show that patients with motor disabilities regard computer use as an important aspect of their life and their disability has a significant effect in their ability to operate it satisfactorily.This information is important for the development of innovating technology helping patients to overcome their specific disabilities.