Patient-Adaptable Biomedical Devices - Benefits and Barriers for Granting Patients More Control

End-users of biomedical devices, like many patients undergoing treatment in healthcare systems, often demonstrate an active interest in their therapy. Patient-specific customization of medical devices, such as orthoses, prostheses and implants, is an expensive, time-consuming process. Given how many of these patients are proactive and self-motivated it seems appropriate to the authors that these characteristics be harnessed to make the adaptation of the device to the patient more cost effective. In short, it is proposed that the device end-user – the patient – play an active role in the tuning and adaptation of the device, especially in the out-patient context. However, the perceived risk associated with a more pro-active and independent role for the patient is a barrier to this possibility. These factors are examined and a proposal for a practical approach to a patient-controlled device optimization process is put forward.