Percussion Palm Cup: Safety and Usability of Newly Designed Products in
Infants and Children with Cystic Fibrosis
Abstract
Background: Manual percussion is used during airway clearance sessions
for children with cystic fibrosis. Use of percussor cups can assist
manual chest physiotherapy percussion when the treatment is too taxing,
or the adult hand is too large. The Canadian distribution for the usual
commercial percussor was recently discontinued. The McMaster
Manufacturing Research Institute (MMRI) was approached to produce two
percussor cup prototypes as potential alternatives. The objective of
this study was to evaluate the useability, satisfaction, preference, and
safety of the MMRI percussor cups compared to the Smiths Palm Cup®
Percussor. Methods: Participants were allocated to two groups based on
age. Order of percussor cup use was randomized; caregivers used each
percussor cup for 2 consecutive days. Data collection included:
demographics, the Quebec User Evaluation of Satisfaction with assistive
Technology 2.0, the Pictorial Single-Item Usability Scale, adverse
effect report, overall satisfaction ratings and top percussor cup
ranking. Results: Twenty-five caregivers and their children enrolled in
and completed the study. The MMRI narrow handle percussor prototype,
regardless of cup size, was comparable in usability, safety and
effectiveness. This can be a locally sourced, innovative solution in
Canada for a pediatric percussor cup. Conclusions: All percussor types
were favourably reported across metrics examining usability, safety, and
effectiveness, apart from the MMRI small cup, wide handle prototype.
Overall, the MMRI wide handle prototype was the least preferred,
regardless of cup size, while the MMRI narrow handle prototype was
comparable to the Smiths Palm Cup® Percussor across all metrics,
regardless of cup size.