title: Electrical stimulation: a societal perspective.
abstract: Societal perspective on functional electrical stimulation is colored by media influence, popular thought, and political climate as much as by the science that supports it. The purpose of this article is to examine how these influences facilitate or inhibit the application of electrical stimulation in today's world and to describe the challenges facing the use of electrical stimulation in the future. Emphasis will be placed on perceived need, cost, and available resources and how these factors must be addressed to utilize functional electrical stimulation successfully in society.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, University of Kentucky, Lexington, USA.
authors.forename: D R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Gater
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: McDowell
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Abbas
mesh_terms: D001294:Attitude to Health; D001701:Bionics / Q000191:economics / Q000295:instrumentation*; D004558:Electric Stimulation / Q000295:instrumentation*; D006291:Health Policy; D006801:Humans; D008329:Managed Care Programs; D019736:Prostheses and Implants / Q000191:economics; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000534:rehabilitation; D014481:United States