The software
The interface with which the OptoGait system is managed is divided into three main sections: Patients data, Tests and Results.
Patients
This is the section in which the profiles of the patients are created and catalogued. Each profile can contain numerous items of data (personal data, notes, photos of the patients, etc.). Each individual can be inserted into one or more groups or subgroups. The patient data is therefore completely open to modulation/modification in accordance with the user’s needs and, if required, can be imported from other formats (e.g., Excel).
Tests
This is the nerve centre of the software. It is the part to access in order to design and configure new tests (jump, reaction, running, etc.) and to perform tests, choosing from the predefined tests and those created by the user. It is also possible to program sequences of tests so that one or more patients can perform several tests.
During performance of the test, the user receives three types of feedback in real time: numerical, graphical and video (from one or two webcams). Once the test has been confirmed, all three types of data are saved and remain available for immediate review or future consultation. If the user so requires, information not of interest can be temporarily hidden (for example, if it is the video that is important for the user, the images can be viewed full-screen and the numerical data can be hidden).
Results and video analysis
In this section it is possible to retrieve previously performed tests at any moment. The images can be compared with the data (numerical as well as graphical). In addition, the video support is of great help to the user in “remembering” how the patient performed a test weeks or months before. Thanks to the “video memory” any anomalies in the numerical data are easily identified.The video images are synchronised with the acquired values. This makes it possible to ascertain exactly what happened when a certain data item was acquired (for example, if a contact time seems too long, the cause of this can be determined by observing the images at the moment the value was recorded).
The speed of the video can be reduced down to “frame by frame” or still picture. A video analysis utility is also included. This makes it possible to draw on the still picture, thanks to various graphic tools (lines, arcs, circles, ruler, goniometer, etc.). In the Results section, it is also possible to compare two or more tests without the help of extra software. For example, it is possible to ascertain the performance of a patient over a period of time or compare the results of tests performed by two or more different patients. All the data (numerical as well as graphical) can be printed or exported in the most common formats.
Report
There are several reports including a summary ("Gait Report") that allows you to quickly see any difference between right foot and left foot, often index of asymmetries.
The software is currently available in 7 different languages (english, italian, german, french, spanish, japanese, chinese).