Objectives. Grip force applied during repetitive hand tool use varies amongst individuals and some apply more force than necessary. Augmented feedback may help modify grip force to reduce the risk of developing cumulative trauma disorders but has been scarcely investigated during electric hand tool operation. This study evaluated the feasibility of using real-time visual feedback to modify grip force and forearm electromyography (EMG) during electric hand tool operation. A secondary objective was to evaluate the effect of hand and tool orientation on any effects of visual feedback. Methods. Grip force and forearm muscle EMG were recorded as participants fastened bolts at three locations (low, high and overhead) using an electric pistol-grip nut-runner, without and with visual feedback. Results. Feedback decreased grip force (36.1% decrease; p < 0.001) and EMG of three wrist flexor muscles (22.8-33.0%; p < 0.008). Grip force and EMG also differed between fastening locations, but there were no interactions with condition (baseline and feedback; p > 0.266), suggesting that visual feedback can modify grip force across varying hand and tool orientations. Conclusion. Visual feedback can successfully modify grip force during hand tool operation. However, further investigation is needed to understand how to appropriately implement visual feedback during hand tool operation.

Work-related diseases and disorders remain a significant global health concern, necessitating multifaceted measures for mitigation. One potential measure is work technique training utilizing augmented feedback through wearable motion capture systems. However, there exists a research gap regarding its current effectiveness in both real work environments and controlled settings, as well as its ability to reduce postural exposure and retention effects over short, medium, and long durations. A rapid review was conducted, utilizing two databases and three previous literature reviews to identify relevant studies published within the last twenty years, including recent literature up to the end of 2023. Sixteen studies met the inclusion criteria, of which 14 were of high or moderate quality. These studies were summarized descriptively, and the strength of evidence was assessed. Among the included studies, six were rated as high quality, while eight were considered moderate quality. Notably, the reporting of participation rates, blinding of assessors, and a-priori power calculations were infrequently performed. Four studies were conducted in real work environments, while ten were conducted in controlled settings. Vibration feedback was the most common feedback type utilized (n = 9), followed by auditory (n = 7) and visual feedback (n = 1). All studies employed corrective feedback initiated by the system. In controlled environments, evidence regarding the effectiveness of augmented feedback from wearable motion capture systems to reduce postural exposure ranged from strong evidence to no evidence, depending on the time elapsed after feedback administration. Conversely, for studies conducted in real work environments, the evidence ranged from very limited evidence to no evidence. Future reach needs are identified and discussed.

UNASSIGNED: Children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) have difficulties with learning and performing physical tasks. It is well known that task-specific practice is effective in improving motor skills. Additional feedback during practice may function as a quality improvement mechanism and therefore enhance motor skill outcomes.
UNASSIGNED: To investigate the effect of different forms of feedback on motor learning and motor performance in children with DCD.
UNASSIGNED: A systematic review was conducted (registration CRD42020175118) to investigate the effectiveness of different types of feedback, compared to other forms of feedback, or no additional feedback, on motor learning and motor performance outcomes in children with DCD. The search was run across six electronic databases (last search January 2024). Two reviewers independently screened studies for inclusion, assessed the quality of included studies, and extracted relevant data. A narrative synthesis was performed and included studies that assessed motor learning and/or performance outcomes following an intervention that delivered a specific form of feedback in comparison to another form of feedback or no specific feedback.
UNASSIGNED: 14 articles from 13 trials were included in this review. Feedback was delivered by providing various forms of feedback, including: knowledge of results, focus of attention and augmented feedback delivered via technology. No significant differences were found between different forms of feedback for motor learning or performance outcomes for children with DCD. Interventions that used technology (with augmented feedback) to deliver the intervention were found to be as effective as traditional therapy. All groups who participated in therapy, regardless of the presence or type of feedback received, improved in overall scores on a motor performance outcome assessment.
UNASSIGNED: Despite the clear rationale for using feedback-oriented interventions for children with DCD, there is surprisingly limited and low-quality research. There is no clear evidence that one form of feedback is more effective than another, although it appears that feedback delivered via technology may be as effective as feedback delivered in traditional therapy interventions for children with DCD. Further exploration is required from appropriately powered and well-designed trials.
UNASSIGNED: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=175118, identifier (CRD42020175118).

The effects of the use of reduced feedback frequencies on motor learning remain controversial in the scientific literature. At present, there is still controversy about the guidance hypothesis, with some works supporting it and others contradicting it. To shed light on this topic, an experiment was conducted with four groups, each with different feedback frequencies (0%, 33%, 67%, and 100%), which were evaluated three times (pre-test, post-test, and retention) during a postural control task. In addition, we tested whether there was a transfer in performance to another similar task involving postural control. As a result, only the 67% feedback group showed an improvement in their task performance in the post-test and retention evaluations. Nevertheless, neither group showed differences in motor transfer performance compared to another postural control task. In conclusion, the findings of this paper corroborate the hypothesis of guidance and suggest that the use of a reduced frequency of 67% is a better option for improving motor learning than options that offer feedback at a lower frequency, at all trials or not at all.

Simulation-based health professions education (SBHPE) is a valuable approach for healthcare professionals to develop and refine technical skills in a safe environment. Feedback plays a crucial role in the acquisition of these skills, but little research has explored the effectiveness of augmented (knowledge of results (KR) and knowledge of performance (KP) versus intrinsic feedback types for advanced learners. Therefore, this study aimed to determine what type of feedback is perceived to be most effective by advanced learners when acquiring complex technical skills in SBHPE. The study followed the test and evaluated phases of the design-based research (DBR) framework. A total of 23 advanced care paramedics (ACPs) participated in the study and received feedback in the form of KR, KP, and intrinsic feedback while using the intraosseous (IO) access simulator. Participants completed a survey to evaluate their learning experience and rank the perceived effectiveness of each feedback type. The results of this study indicated that KP was perceived as the most effective type of feedback and KR was perceived as the least effective feedback, with intrinsic feedback being in the middle. This work provides insights into the use of augmented and intrinsic feedback for advanced learners in an SBHPE environment, but future work to assess the actual learning effects of these types of feedback is needed.

In the field of health professions education, acquiring technical skills involves three stages: 1) receiving instructions, 2) engaging in practice, and 3) receiving feedback. Simulation serves as a valuable tool that encompasses all three stages, enhancing the effectiveness of health professions education. This work focuses on feedback, which can be categorized as intrinsic (perceived by the learner through their senses) or augmented (provided by an external perspective). Augmented feedback can take the form of knowledge of results (information regarding the outcome) or knowledge of performance (information about the actions leading to the outcome). The overall objective of this work was to evaluate the perceived efficacy of these types of feedback in learning technical skills using a simulation, specifically an intraosseous access simulator, among advanced care paramedics. The primary focus of this article and the initial step towards achieving the aforementioned objective of this work was to determine the possible knowledge of results and knowledge of performance that paramedic facilitators could offer to advanced care paramedics during the use of an existing intraosseous access simulator. This research was conducted following the design-based research framework, employing a combination of design thinking and Delphi methods to generate a comprehensive list of augmented feedback, in both the form of knowledge of results and knowledge of performance, that can be provided to advanced care paramedics while learning intraosseous access skills through a simulator. The design thinking session was carried out to generate an initial inventory of augmented feedback, which was then refined through two rounds of Delphi consensus-building with paramedic experts. This process resulted in an eight-step list of feedback for knowledge of results and knowledge of performance that can be delivered to advanced care paramedics by paramedic facilitators using an intraosseous access simulator.

Supplementing an earlier analysis of event-related potentials in extensive motor learning (Margraf et al., 2022a, 2022b), frontal theta-band activity (4-8 Hz) was scrutinized. Thirty-seven participants learned a sequential arm movement with 192 trials in each of five practice sessions. Feedback, based on a performance adaptive bandwidth, was given after every trial. Electroencephalogram (EEG) was recorded in the first and last practice sessions. The degree of motor automatization was tested under dual-task conditions in a pre-test-post-test design. Quantitative error information was transported in both feedback conditions (positive and negative). Frontal theta activity was discussed as a general signal that cognitive control is needed and, therefore, was expected to be higher after negative feedback. Extensive motor practice promotes automatization, and therefore, decreased frontal theta activity was expected in the later practice. Further, it was expected that frontal theta was predictive for subsequent behavioural adaptations and the amount of motor automatization. As the results show, induced frontal theta power was higher after negative feedback and decreased after five sessions of practice. Moreover, induced theta activity was predictive for error correction and, therefore, an indicator of whether the recruited cognitive resources successfully induced behavioural adaptations. It remains to be solved why these effects, which fit well with the theoretical assumptions, were only revealed by the induced part of frontal theta activity. Further, the amount of theta activity during practice was not predictive for the degree of motor automatization. It seems that there might be a dissociation between attentional resources associated with feedback processing and attentional resources associated with motor control.

BACKGROUND: Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMSDs) remain a challenge despite research aimed at improving their prevention and treatment. Extrinsic feedback has been suggested for the prevention and rehabilitation of WRMSDs to improve sensorimotor control, and ultimately to reduce pain and disability. However, there are few systematic reviews on the effectiveness of extrinsic feedback for WRMSDs.
OBJECTIVE: To perform a systematic review investigating the effect of extrinsic feedback for the prevention and rehabilitation of WRMSDs.
METHODS: Five databases (CINAHL, Embase, Ergonomics Abstract, PsycInfo, PubMed) were searched. Studies of various designs assessing the effects of extrinsic feedback during work tasks on three outcomes (function, symptoms, sensorimotor control) in the context of prevention and rehabilitation of WRMSDs were included.
RESULTS: Forty-nine studies were included, for a total sample of 3387 participants (including 925 injured) who performed work-related tasks in the workplace (27 studies) or in controlled environments (22 studies). The use of extrinsic feedback was shown to be effective in controlled environments for short-term prevention of functional limitations and sensorimotor alterations (very limited to moderate evidence) and for improving, in injured participants, function, symptoms and sensorimotor control (moderate evidence). In the workplace, it was shown to be effective for short-term prevention of functional limitations (limited evidence). There was conflicting evidence regarding its effect for WRMSD rehabilitation in the workplace.
CONCLUSIONS: Extrinsic feedback is an interesting complementary tool for the prevention and rehabilitation of WRMSDs in controlled environments. More evidence is needed regarding its effect for the prevention and rehabilitation of WRMSDs in the workplace.

OBJECTIVE: This crossover trial compared the effects of varying feedback approaches on sprint performance, motivation, and affective mood states in female athletes.
METHODS: Eligibility criteria were being competitive female athletes, where participants completed sprint tests in 4 randomized feedback conditions on grass, including augmented feedback (sprint time; AUG-FB), technical feedback (cues; TECH-FB), a competition-driven drill (CDD) sprinting against an opponent, and a control condition (no feedback; CON). Participants completed a 20-m sprint (maximum sprint), 30-m curved agility sprint, and a repeated sprint ability test, with sprint times, motivation level, and mood states recorded. The participants were blinded from the number of trials during the repeated sprint ability test.
RESULTS: About 12 rugby league players completed all feedback conditions. The maximum sprint times were faster for AUG-FB (3.54 [0.16] s) and CDD (3.54 [0.16] s) compared with TECH-FB (3.64 [0.16] s), while there were no differences compared with CON (3.58 [0.17] s). The curved agility sprint times were faster for AUG-FB (5.42 [0.20] s) compared with TECH-FB (5.61 [0.21] s) and CON (5.57 [0.24] s), although CDD (5.38 [0.26] s) produced faster sprint times than TECH-FB. Effort and value were higher with AUG-FB (6.31 [0.68]; 6.53 [0.05]) compared with CON (5.99 [0.60]; 4.75 [2.07]), while CON exhibited lower enjoyment ratings (4.68 [0.95]) compared with other feedback conditions (AUG-FB: 5.54 [0.72]; CDD: 5.56 [0.67]; TECH-FB: 5.60 [0.56]).
CONCLUSIONS: Providing AUG-FB prior to sprint tasks enhances more immediate performance outcomes than TECH-FB. AUG-FB also benefited athlete enjoyment, task effort, and coaching value. Female athletes should receive AUG-FB in testing and training environments, to improve immediate physical performance and motivation.

Reduced hand dexterity is a common component of sensorimotor impairments for individuals after stroke. To improve hand function, innovative rehabilitation interventions are constantly developed and tested. In this context, technology-based interventions for hand rehabilitation have been emerging rapidly. This paper offers an overview of basic knowledge on post lesion plasticity and sensorimotor integration processes in the context of augmented feedback and new rehabilitation technologies, in particular virtual reality and soft robotic gloves. We also discuss some factors to consider related to the incorporation of augmented feedback in the development of technology-based interventions in rehabilitation. This includes factors related to feedback delivery parameter design, task complexity and heterogeneity of sensory deficits in individuals affected by a stroke. In spite of the current limitations in our understanding of the mechanisms involved when using new rehabilitation technologies, the multimodal augmented feedback approach appears promising and may provide meaningful ways to optimize recovery after stroke. Moving forward, we argue that comparative studies allowing stratification of the augmented feedback delivery parameters based upon different biomarkers, lesion characteristics or impairments should be advocated (e.g., injured hemisphere, lesion location, lesion volume, sensorimotor impairments). Ultimately, we envision that treatment design should combine augmented feedback of multiple modalities, carefully adapted to the specific condition of the individuals affected by a stroke and that evolves along with recovery. This would better align with the new trend in stroke rehabilitation which challenges the popular idea of the existence of an ultimate good-for-all intervention.