Patient, clinician and product designer perspectives on the design of a dysphagia rehabilitation tool

Background: There is an absence of available biofeedback tools for use in rehabilitation of people who have dysphagia. To create a suitable tool, ‘expert’ opinion from people such as clinicians and product designers is desirable to establish what may be achievable for a rehabilitation tool. More importantly, target clients are integral to any design process, as understanding their needs and potential patterns of use enhances the likelihood of a tool being designed to meet their needs. Objectives: To determine: (i) whether a dysphagia tool would be useful for patients rehabilitation; (ii) how would a dysphagia tool be used; (iii) the preferred product format for a dysphagia tool; (iv) views about a specific clinic-ready prototype tool, called OroPress. Method: Three focus groups were conducted with product designers, speech and language therapy clinicians, and post-surgical head and neck cancer patients. To facilitate discussion, a set of topic headings, photographs and models were introduced. Qualitative analysis was performed on the transcripted text using Glaserian coding principles to form open codes, selective codes and then themes. Results: Examination of concordance, across and within groups, identified five main themes: user interface, out-of-box experience, format, primary user usability, and views about OroPress. Conclusions: This study indicates that: (i) a tool was assessed as being useful and needed; (ii) a dysphagia tool would be used independently in the home, while connecting with a speech and language therapist electronically via the device; (iii) feedback was considered essential, with product designers and clinicians favouring visual, and patients preferring tactile. Preferred placement of the device varied; (iv) OroPress was considered to be bulky and unappealing. All groups agreed that it required reverse engineering.