Scholars@Duke
Frank DeRuyter

Frank DeRuyter

Professor Emeritus of Head and Neck Surgery & Communication Sciences
Head and Neck Surgery & Communication Sciences
deruy001@mc.duke.edu
Box 3887 Med Ctr, Durham, NC 27710
164 Baker House, Brown Zone, Durham, NC 27710

Selected Publications

Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Mobile Rehabilitation: State of the Science Conference Report-Future Directions for mRehab for People with Disabilities.

Journal Article Int J Environ Res Public Health · March 31, 2025 This article summarizes proceedings of the State of the Science (SOS) Conference on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Access for Mobile Rehabilitation, convened by the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Mobile Rehabilitation (mRehab ... Full text Link to item Cite

Big Data Analytics and Sensor-Enhanced Activity Management to Improve Effectiveness and Efficiency of Outpatient Medical Rehabilitation.

Journal Article Int J Environ Res Public Health · January 24, 2020 Numerous societal trends are compelling a transition from inpatient to outpatient venues of care for medical rehabilitation. While there are advantages to outpatient rehabilitation (e.g., lower cost, more relevant to home and community function), there are ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

The Digital Health Revolution and People with Disabilities: Perspective from the United States.

Journal Article Int J Environ Res Public Health · January 7, 2020 This article serves as the introduction to this special issue on Mobile Health and Mobile Rehabilitation for People with Disabilities. Social, technological and policy trends are reviewed. Needs, opportunities and challenges for the emerging fields of mobi ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Survey of rehabilitation clinicians in the united states: Barriers and critical use-cases for mrehab adoption

Conference Lecture Notes in Computer Science Including Subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics · January 1, 2020 This paper presents data and analysis from survey research conducted by the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Information and Communications Technology Access for Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Access for Community Living, Heal ... Full text Cite

Mobile health and mobile rehabilitation for people with disabilities: Current state, challenges and opportunities: introduction to the special thematic session

Conference Lecture Notes in Computer Science Including Subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics · January 1, 2020 Over the past decade, technologies have transformed society, education, entertainment, business and now healthcare. Today, digital health technologies are reaching a level of maturity that supports the robust and broad scope of healthcare. It has only been ... Full text Cite

Survey of user needs: Mobile apps for mhealth and people with disabilities

Conference Lecture Notes in Computer Science Including Subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics · January 1, 2020 This paper presents data and analysis from survey research conducted by the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Information and Communication Technology Access for Mobile Rehabilitation (mRehab RERC) on the use and unmet needs for mHealth mobile ... Full text Cite

LiveWell RERC State of the Science Conference Report on ICT Access to Support Community Living, Health and Function for People with Disabilities.

Journal Article Int J Environ Res Public Health · December 30, 2019 This article summarizes the proceedings of the three session State of the Science (SOS) Conference that was conducted by the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center for Community Living, Health and Function (LiveWell RERC) in June 2019 in Toronto, Canad ... Full text Link to item Cite

Clinician Perspectives on mRehab Interventions and Technologies for People with Disabilities in the United States: A National Survey.

Journal Article Int J Environ Res Public Health · October 31, 2019 Mobile health and mobile rehabilitation (mHealth and mRehab) services and technologies have attracted considerable interest from healthcare providers, technology vendors, rehabilitation engineers, investors and policy makers in recent years. Successful ado ... Full text Link to item Cite

Effects of a caregiver-inclusive assistive technology intervention: a randomized controlled trial.

Journal Article BMC Geriatr · April 18, 2018 BACKGROUND: The principal aim of this study was to investigate whether a caregiver-inclusive assistive technology intervention improved older care recipients' functional autonomy and decreased the perceived burden of their family caregivers compared to cus ... Full text Link to item Cite

Mobile Healthcare and People with Disabilities: Current State and Future Needs.

Journal Article Int J Environ Res Public Health · March 14, 2018 Significant health disparities exist between the general population and people with disabilities, particularly with respect to chronic health conditions. Mobile healthcare-the delivery of healthcare via mobile communication devices-is witnessing tremendous ... Full text Link to item Cite

Mobile healthcare and people with disabilities: Results from a preliminary survey

Conference Lecture Notes in Computer Science Including Subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics · January 1, 2018 Significant health disparities exist between the general population and people with disabilities, particularly with respect to chronic health conditions. Mobile healthcare – the delivery of healthcare via mobile communication devices – is witnessing tremen ... Full text Cite

Mobile healthcare and mhealth apps: Introduction to the special thematic session

Conference Lecture Notes in Computer Science Including Subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics · January 1, 2018 Over the past decade, technologies have transformed society, education, entertainment, business and now healthcare. Today, these technologies are reaching a level of maturity needed to support the robust and broad scope of healthcare. It has only been rece ... Full text Cite

Development and evaluation of a device to measure walking speed

Conference Lecture Notes in Computer Science Including Subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics · January 1, 2018 This manuscript describes the development and testing of a device to measure walking speed. The Gaitbox is a custom, microprocessor-based device that uses an infrared distance sensor to automatically measure, calculate and display walking speed. Walking sp ... Full text Cite

Mobile healthcare and mhealth apps for people with disabilities

Conference Lecture Notes in Computer Science Including Subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics · January 1, 2018 This paper provides an overview and background information related to the mHealth technology landscape specific for the ICCHP 2018 Special Thematic Session of the same title. Specifically, it contains: (1) an overview of mHealth including a working definit ... Full text Cite

How a diverse research ecosystem has generated new rehabilitation technologies: Review of NIDILRR's Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers.

Journal Article J Neuroeng Rehabil · November 6, 2017 Over 50 million United States citizens (1 in 6 people in the US) have a developmental, acquired, or degenerative disability. The average US citizen can expect to live 20% of his or her life with a disability. Rehabilitation technologies play a major role i ... Full text Link to item Cite

Guidelines for Adult Stroke Rehabilitation and Recovery: A Guideline for Healthcare Professionals From the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association.

Journal Article Stroke · June 2016 PURPOSE: The aim of this guideline is to provide a synopsis of best clinical practices in the rehabilitative care of adults recovering from stroke. METHODS: Writing group members were nominated by the committee chair on the basis of their previous work in ... Full text Link to item Cite

Effect of a tailored assistive technology intervention on older adults and their family caregiver: a pragmatic study protocol.

Journal Article BMC Geriatr · May 13, 2016 BACKGROUND: Many older adults with mobility limitations use assistive technology to help them perform daily activities. However, little attention has been paid to the impact on their family caregivers. This neglect produces an incomplete portrayal of the o ... Full text Link to item Cite

Development and preliminary evaluation of the caregiver assistive technology outcome measure.

Journal Article J Rehabil Med · May 2015 INTRODUCTION: Assistive technology is often recommended with the aim of increasing user independence and reducing the burden on informal caregivers. However, until now, there has been no tool to measure the outcomes of this process for caregivers. OBJECTIV ... Full text Link to item Cite

Classification of assistive technology services: Implications for outcomes research

Journal Article Technology and Disability · February 10, 2012 This paper evaluates four classifications of assistive technology (AT) services for their ability to support outcomes research. The evaluation involved classifications intended for various purposes, including those created to support practitioner education ... Full text Cite

Development and evaluation of a new taxonomy of mobility-related assistive technology devices

Other American Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation · April 1, 2011 Full text Cite

Using mobile phones to write in air

Conference Mobisys 11 Compilation Proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Mobile Systems Applications and Services and Co Located Workshops · January 1, 2011 Numerous sensors in modern mobile phones enable a range of people-centric applications. This paper envisions a system called PhonePoint Pen that uses the in-built accelerometer in mobile phones to recognize human writing. By holding the phone like a pen, a ... Full text Cite

Using AAC technology to access the world.

Journal Article Assist Technol · 2011 This paper describes the monumental shift in the nature of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) access that has occurred over the past three decades. In its earliest days AAC technology was directed at enabling interpersonal face-to-face intera ... Full text Link to item Cite

Development and evaluation of a new taxonomy of mobility-related assistive technology devices.

Journal Article Am J Phys Med Rehabil · October 2010 OBJECTIVE: This article reports on the development of a new taxonomy for mobility-related assistive technology devices. DESIGN: A prototype taxonomy was created based on the extant literature. Five mobility device experts were engaged in a modified Delphi ... Full text Link to item Cite

Treatment theory, intervention specification, and treatment fidelity in assistive technology outcomes research.

Journal Article Assist Technol · 2010 Recent reports in the rehabilitation literature have suggested that treatment theory, intervention specification, and treatment fidelity have important implications for the design, results, and interpretation of outcomes research. At the same time, there h ... Full text Link to item Cite

Mobility-related assistive technology device classifications: implications for outcomes research.

Journal Article Am J Phys Med Rehabil · December 2009 This article evaluates six mobility-related device classifications for their ability to support assistive technology outcomes research. Our evaluation considered classifications that had been created for various purposes, including those created to support ... Full text Link to item Cite

A conceptual framework of outcomes for caregivers of assistive technology users.

Journal Article Am J Phys Med Rehabil · August 2009 OBJECTIVE: To develop and validate the content of a conceptual framework concerning outcomes for caregivers whose recipients are assistive technology users. DESIGN: The study was designed in four stages. First, a list of potential key variables relevant to ... Full text Link to item Cite

AAC technology transfer: an AAC-RERC report.

Journal Article Augment Altern Commun · March 2009 Featured Publication Transferring innovative technologies from the university to the manufacturing sector can often be an elusive and problematic process. The Rehabilitation and Engineering Research Center on Communication Enhancement (AAC-RERC) has worked with the manufacturi ... Full text Link to item Cite

Development of a French-Canadian version of the Life-Space Assessment (LSA-F): content validity, reliability and applicability for power mobility device users.

Journal Article Disabil Rehabil Assist Technol · January 2009 Featured Publication PURPOSE: To examine the measurement properties of the French-Canadian version of the Life-Space Assessment questionnaire (LSA-F) for power mobility device (PMD) users. METHODS: Content validity, test-retest reliability of telephone interviews (2-week inter ... Full text Link to item Cite

Powered mobility for middle-aged and older adults: systematic review of outcomes and appraisal of published evidence.

Journal Article Am J Phys Med Rehabil · August 2008 Featured Publication OBJECTIVE: To identify the outcomes of power mobility devices for middle-aged and older adult users, and to critically appraise the research evidence. DESIGN: Systematic review of primary source studies involving adults aged 50 and over using power mobilit ... Full text Link to item Cite

Tracking mobility-related assistive technology in an outcomes study.

Journal Article Assist Technol · 2008 Featured Publication The objective of this follow-up study was to describe changes in the mobility-related assistive technology devices (ATDs) that are used from shortly after discharge from a hospital setting until 5-6 months later. One hundred and thirty-nine participants wh ... Full text Link to item Cite

Enhancing AAC connections with the world.

Journal Article Augment Altern Commun · September 2007 Featured Publication The availability of new technologies has changed how we control devices, exchange information, and communicate with others. Significant barriers, however, have prevented many individuals who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) from accessi ... Full text Link to item Cite

Apolipoprotein E alleles and sensorineural hearing loss.

Journal Article Int J Audiol · April 2007 Featured Publication The purpose of this paper is to determine if a relationship exists between APOE alleles and nonsyndromic, sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) in adults. APOE genotype was determined on DNA obtained from a sample of 89 subjects with nonsyndromic, adult onset ... Full text Link to item Cite

A framework for modelling the selection of assistive technology devices (ATDs).

Journal Article Disabil Rehabil Assist Technol · January 2007 Featured Publication PURPOSE: The previously published 'Framework for the conceptual modelling of assistive technology device (ATD) outcomes' assumes antecedent factors that inform it and influence its component variables. This paper proposes a model of factors influencing con ... Full text Link to item Cite

Toward a taxonomy of assistive technology device outcomes.

Journal Article Am J Phys Med Rehabil · April 2005 Featured Publication The advancement of assistive technology device (ATD) outcomes research requires a substantive taxonomy for ATD outcomes. This article describes the assumptions and principles that should underlie such a taxonomy. It advocates for an approach to classifying ... Full text Link to item Cite

Psychometric and administrative properties of measures used in assistive technology device outcomes research.

Journal Article Assist Technol · 2005 Featured Publication Although there have been numerous calls for increasing the quantity and quality of assistive technology outcomes research, no one has analyzed the nature of data that the field has been accumulating. This article summarizes our evaluation of 82 outcome stu ... Full text Link to item Cite

A framework for the conceptual modelling of assistive technology device outcomes.

Journal Article Disabil Rehabil · November 18, 2003 Featured Publication PURPOSE: A key step in planning assistive technology outcomes research is formulation of a conceptual model, specific to a particular type of device, that provides a rationale for the expected outcomes. This paper reflects the conviction that the developme ... Full text Link to item Cite

Introduction

Journal Article Assistive Technology · June 30, 2002 Full text Cite

Connecting AAC devices to the world of information technology.

Journal Article Assist Technol · 2002 Featured Publication Modern day information technology (IT) is converging around wireless networks. It is now possible to check E-mail and view information from the World Wide Web from commercially available mobile phones. For individuals with disabilities, the ability to acce ... Full text Link to item Cite

The importance of outcome measures for assistive technology service delivery systems

Journal Article Technology and Disability · January 1, 1997 Although assistive technology is often heralded as the means to improved quality of life for people with disabilities, there is little data to support or refute this claim. Now, with the trend in health care toward accountability and performance monitoring ... Full text Cite

Treatment efficacy: aphasia.

Journal Article J Speech Hear Res · October 1996 Featured Publication This article presents a brief overview of aphasia, followed by a summary of research studies and program evaluation data addressed to answering the question of the efficacy of treatment for aphasia. Selected studies are reviewed in terms of the quality of ... Full text Link to item Cite

Treatment efficacy: cognitive-communicative disorders resulting from traumatic brain injury in adults.

Journal Article J Speech Hear Res · October 1996 Featured Publication Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) may result in a broad array of cognitive-communicative impairments. Cognitive-communicative impairments are the result of deficits in linguistic and nonlinguistic cognitive functions. The speech-language pathologist functions ... Link to item Cite

Evaluating outcomes in assistive technology: do we understand the commitment?

Journal Article Assist Technol · 1995 Featured Publication Evaluating assistive technology (AT) services to demonstrate quality or to measure outcomes is the ethical obligation of the entire AT community. Accountability must be accepted by all stakeholders in order to evaluate all aspects of service delivery. Deve ... Full text Link to item Cite

ISAAC governance and committee activities: Program Highlights of the 1988 ISAAC Biennial Conference

Journal Article Augmentative and Alternative Communication · January 1, 1988 Full text Cite

Augmentative communication: Assessment, system selection, and usage

Journal Article Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation · January 1, 1988 Full text Cite

The Nonspeaking Cerebral Palsied: A Clinical and Demographic Database Report

Journal Article Augmentative and Alternative Communication · January 1, 1987 Demographic and clinical characteristics were obtained on 66 nonspeaking cerebral-palsied patients during the assessment, management, and follow-up phases of a service delivery program. The information obtained was an effort to provide professionals, reimb ... Full text Cite

Isaac Governance and Committee Activities 1988 Biennial Conference Committee Update

Journal Article Augmentative and Alternative Communication · January 1, 1987 Full text Cite

The Nonspeaking Brain-Injured: A Clinical and Demographic Database Report

Journal Article Augmentative and Alternative Communication · January 1, 1987 In an effort to describe the demographic and clinical characteristics of nonspeaking brain-injured patients, data was obtained on 24 parameters during the assessment, management, and follow-up phases of a service delivery program. The information obtained ... Full text Cite

Hearing sensitivity and measurements of middle ear and eustachian tube function after maxillary osteotomy with advancement surgery.

Journal Article J Oral Surg · May 1980 The nature of audiologic changes after maxillary osteotomy with advancement surgery has not been fully documented. The purpose of this investigation was to better understand the potential alteration of eustachian tube, middle ear pressure and static compli ... Link to item Cite