Co-creation facilitates translational research on upper limb prosthetics

Jones, H; Dupan, S; Coutinho, M; Day, S; Desmond, D; Donovan-Hall, M; Dyson, M; Ekins-Coward, T; Kenney, LPJ; Krasoulis, A; McIntosh, D; Memarzadeh, K; Small, E; Wheeler, G; Wu, H; Nazarpour, K

Abstract

People who either use an upper limb prosthesis and/or have used services provided by a prosthetic rehabilitation centre, hereafter called users, are yet to benefit from the fast-paced growth in academic knowledge within the field of upper limb prosthetics. Crucially over the past decade, research has acknowledged the limitations of conducting laboratory-based studies for clinical translation. This has led to an increase, albeit rather small, in trials that gather real-world user data. Multi-stakeholder collaboration is critical within such trials, especially between researchers, users, and clinicians, as well as policy makers, charity representatives, and industry specialists. This paper presents a co-creation model that enables researchers to collaborate with multiple stakeholders, including users, throughout the duration of a study. This approach can lead to a transition in defining the roles of stakeholders, such as users, from participants to co-researchers. This presents a scenario whereby the boundaries between research and participation become blurred and ethical considerations may become complex. However, the time and resources that are required to conduct co-creation within academia can lead to greater impact and benefit the people that the research aims to serve.

Citation

Jones, H., Dupan, S., Coutinho, M., Day, S., Desmond, D., Donovan-Hall, M., …Nazarpour, K. (2021). Co-creation facilitates translational research on upper limb prosthetics. Prosthesis, 3(2), 110-118. https://doi.org/10.3390/prosthesis3020012

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Mar 24, 2021
• Publication Date: Apr 2, 2021
• Deposit Date: Apr 14, 2021
• Publicly Available Date: Apr 14, 2021
• Journal: Prosthesis
• Print ISSN: 2673-1592
• Publisher: MDPI
• Volume: 3
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 110-118
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/prosthesis3020012
• Publisher URL: https://doi.org/10.3390/prosthesis3020012
• Related Public URLs: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/prosthesis
• Additional Information: Funders : PORT-ER (Prosthetics, Orthotics and Rehabilitation Medicine—Education and Research);Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC);Newcastle University via the EPSRC Impact Acceleration Account;Department of Health and Social Care; Projects : Mobility Matters; Grant Number: Jones/2018; Grant Number: EP/R004242/1; Grant Number: EP/R511584/1; Grant Number: RNC/227/001