Translating research into clinical practice: integrating robotics into neurorehabilitation for stroke survivors

Technological advances continue to infuse the field of neurorehabilitation with both excitement and apprehension. A challenge for clinicians is to determine which of the growing number of devices or interventions available should be incorporated into their clinical practice, and when and with whom they should be offered, in order to best assist their patients in attaining the highest level of function and quality of life. Robotics is one area of technology that has seen robust growth in rehabilitation applications, so much so that the presence of robotic devices in rehabilitation centers has become an expectation among patients, their caregivers, and therapists. Although rehabilitation robotic devices afford the opportunity to provide high doses of repetitive movement in a reliable and controllable manner, the role they play in the continuum of clinical care remains uncertain. The focus of this article is on translating the empirical evidence related to the application of rehabilitation robotics for improving lower limb and walking function in a manner that the clinician, or any stakeholder, will be able to incorporate relevant findings into clinical practice. A process is outlined and applied to a recent review of the literature related to the use of robotics for the treatment of lower limb and walking function in persons with stroke. This process provides the reader with a tool that can be applied to the translation and implementation of evidence related to any intervention for any client with neurological injury or disease.