Saskia Baltrusch

35 Chapter 2 consequences. Wearing the device under the clothes effaces the flexibility of taking it on and off, whenever needed, and might lead to irritation of the skin. The consultant was concerned that it might confirm the patient’s believe “[…] that you can’t do anything without it.” (Pieter, Consultant) whereas wearing the device over the clothes gives the impression of a temporary assistance. Both groups remarked the risk of getting caught up in something when wearing the device over the clothes. Furthermore, visibility of the exoskeleton could, on the one hand, facilitate the legitimacy of the patient’s complaints as a form of ‘medication’ making it easier to deal with problems such as coverage of costs by insurances. On the other hand, this visibility can be misused by the employer to increase work demands “[…] that he [the employer] thinks: hey, he has this thing […] here you go, another five hundred boxes extra.” (Bram, Movement Therapist) Both groups mentioned that wearing an assistive device “[…] could suggest you to be more vulnerable […]” (Myrthe, Psychologist) Showing vulnerability from the patient’s perspective helps to protect themselves against unexpected situations. Two patients said they are often afraid of being knocked over in a crowd: “[…] because if I walk without [the device] then they think there’s nothing wrong.” (Mette, P) 3.5 Field of Application Healthcare professionals focused their discussion on the field of application and where they would see the best use of an exoskeleton. 2