Perception of BCI assistive technology by post-ischemic stroke patients

Stroke is the leading cause of acquired physical impairment in adult in the world. One person in six seconds is having a stroke somewhere in the world. It is estimated that one-third of stroke victims will be handicapped, and will require assistive technology of some sort. There are many BCI therapeutic resources in development that can be used for treating patients who have any physical challenge. The objective of this study is to explore the perception of BCI assistive technology by the post-stroke patients that have sequelae. We applied a home developed questionnaire and conducted a semi-structured interview by phone to explore the perception of patients towards BCI procedures. We studied seven post-ischemic stroke patients (4 men) with a mean age of 63 years (range 34-80 years). Six subjects had incomplete basic education and only one subject had completed high school. The median Rankin score was 3 (range 2-4). We found positive to very positive perception on the usage of BCI. A pleasant experience was described by all patients and no complaints were reported. Most subjects misinterpreted the research procedures regarding them as part of their treatment. In conclusion, the overall perception of BCI by the stroke patients was positive, and there is a willingness of trying this type of technology in particular when physicians are part of the BCI implementation process.