Professionals’ views on the use of smartphone technology to support children and adolescents with memory impairment due to acquired brain injury

Plackett, Ruth; Thomas, Sophie; Thomas, Shirley A.

Abstract

Purpose: To identify from a health-care professionals’ perspective whether smartphones are used by children and adolescents with acquired brain injury as memory aids; what factors predict smartphone use and what barriers prevent the use of smartphones as memory aids by children and adolescents.
Method: A cross-sectional online survey was undertaken with 88 health-care professionals working with children and adolescents with brain injury.
Results: Children and adolescents with brain injury were reported to use smartphones as memory aids by 75% of professionals. However, only 42% of professionals helped their clients to use smartphones. The only factor that significantly predicted reported smartphone use was the professionals’ positive attitudes toward assistive technology. Several barriers to using smartphones as memory aids were identified, including the poor accessibility of devices and cost of devices.
Conclusion: Many children and adolescents with brain injury are already using smartphones as memory aids but this is often not facilitated by professionals. Improving the attitudes of professionals toward using smartphones as assistive technology could help to increase smartphone use in rehabilitation.

Citation

Plackett, R., Thomas, S., & Thomas, S. A. (2017). Professionals’ views on the use of smartphone technology to support children and adolescents with memory impairment due to acquired brain injury. Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology, 12(3), 236-243. https://doi.org/10.3109/17483107.2015.1127436

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Nov 30, 2015
• Online Publication Date: Jan 5, 2016
• Publication Date: Mar 1, 2017
• Deposit Date: Oct 4, 2017
• Publicly Available Date: Oct 4, 2017
• Journal: Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology
• Print ISSN: 1748-3107
• Electronic ISSN: 1748-3107
• Publisher: Taylor and Francis
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 12
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 236-243
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.3109/17483107.2015.1127436
• Keywords: Adolescents, brain injury, children, memory, rehabilitation, smartphone
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/843121
• Publisher URL: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.3109/17483107.2015.1127436
• Additional Information: This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology on 2017, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.3109/17483107.2015.1127436