Investigation of the Use of Remote Presence Robots in Delivery of Neuromodulation

Nova Scotia Health Authority (NSHA)

Status and phase: Completed; Phase 4

Conditions: Satisfaction; Complications; Neurostimulator

Treatments: Device: Neuromodulation

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT01283633

Robotics-Neuromod-Mendez

Details and patient eligibility

About

In recent years, robotic devices are becoming more and more common in medical practice. Such devices provide an effective way to communicate within a clinical setting, but recent studies have shown far more diverse uses for these robots, ranging from training future surgeons to diagnoses of patients. In the investigators study, the investigators would like to investigate whether it is effective to employ robotic devices in the administration of neurostimulation treatment. It is the investigators hypothesis that the introduction of robotic devices will only yield minimal if any inaccuracies in a standard neuromodulation treatment protocol. In addition, the investigators also predict a high satisfaction rating from all participants involved in conditions involving the robot.

Full description

Patients with neuromodulation systems implanted for either movement disorders or chronic pain and who require programming of their systems will be approached to enter the study. Those who consent will be consecutively assigned to either the normal standard of care (i.e. programming of their systems with an experienced clinician) or programming of their systems with an inexperienced programmer (nurse) who will be directed by the experienced programmer via the remote presence robot. Both the nurses and the patients will complete questionnaires rating their satisfaction of the programming experience.

They will each only receive one questionnaire at the end of the programming session. There is no other test point.

Enrollment: 30 patients

Sex: All

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• patients with neuromodulation systems, requiring programming
• nurses who have never programmed a neuromodulation system before

Exclusion criteria

• those who are unwilling to give consent

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: N/A

Interventional model: Single Group Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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30 participants in 1 patient group

programming with non-experienced nurse

Experimental group

Description:

Programming done by an experienced neuromodulation clinician will be compared to the patient satisfaction of a programming session with an inexperienced nurse via remote presence robotics, which will be directed by the experienced clinician

Treatment:

Device: Neuromodulation