The Effectiveness of the Jamboxx Respiratory Therapy Device: Study 2

The Effectiveness of the Jamboxx Respiratory Therapy Device in Treatment of Patients with Decreased Respiratory Function is a proposal for investigation of the application of gaming to improving respiratory health. The Jamboxx device combines gaming with traditional incentive spirometry to provide users with a fun experience to keep them engaged in their respiratory therapy routine. The device allows users to play a series of mini-games that walk them through their routines. The Jamboxx also records airflow and lung parameters with an external mouthpiece attachment to provide users with real time feedback, and helps to assess increases or decreases in relative lung function over time. The Jamboxx has the potential to significantly impact the field of respiratory therapy by being one of the first gaming devices for patient therapy, and the first respiratory therapy gaming device that is accessible to users with limited mobility. Jamboxx provides a fun and engaging, low cost alternative to the traditional therapy techniques used and aims to improve patient compliance. This study addresses the ongoing challenge of clearing the burden of bronchial secretions resulting from cystic fibrosis. These patients are dependent upon mechanical devices to help clear secretions. A device autonomous means for clearing secretions is well defined in the literature (autogenic drainage) but is difficult to learn. This study proposes to teach cystic fibrosis patients to master autogenic drainage, and seeks to determine at what age it can be taught. As it would be expected that gaming could easily teach adults this procedure, the study will include children for whom learning autogenic drainage based upon conceptualization would be expected to be very difficult.