The use of robotic upper limb therapy in routine clinical practice for stroke survivors: Insights from Australian therapists

There is a little known about what therapists think about using robot-assisted upper limb therapy in their daily practice. The aim of this study was to explore Australian therapist perceptions of the use of robotics. Focus groups were conducted separately with five occupational therapists and four physiotherapists who had used robotics at their rehabilitation facility. In addition to the focus groups, each therapist scored the user-friendliness of the robotic device by completing a short survey. Both occupational therapists and physiotherapists believed the robotics was a beneficial addition to the rehabilitation facility. Physiotherapists used the device more than the occupational therapists with the device being located in the physiotherapy area of the rehabilitation facility. Therapists explained that robotics increased the amount of practice stroke survivors could do, was easy to use, and was motivating for stroke survivors. However, once stroke survivors had gained enough arm movement, the focus moved to practicing actual daily tasks rather than robotics. Also, robotics was not the only form of upper limb therapy offered to stroke survivors with multiple upper limb treatments used to aid their recovery.