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Exploring the Feasibility and Patient Acceptance of RAGT for Overground Ambulation in Adults With Guillain-Barré
Joon Sin Ser1, Siew Kwaon Lui2
1Rehabilitation Medicine, Singhealth Residency, Singapore.
Objective:
To review the current literature on the feasibility as well as weaknesses and strengths of robot-assisted gait training (RAGT) in the rehabilitation of gait in adult patients with Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS).
Data Sources:
This scoping review was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis for Scoping Reviews guidelines. A systematic search between November 2024 and May 2025 of PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health (CADTH) Grey Matters, and citation mining was performed to evaluate for relevant studies.
Study Selection:
All studies involving the use of RAGT in adults (≥18y) diagnosed with acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy or GBS were included. Eligible study designs comprised case reports, case series, feasibility studies, and randomized controlled trials. The search yielded 11 potentially relevant articles.
Data Extraction:
Study selection was conducted in 2 stages: title and abstract screening followed by full-text review. Discrepancies between the 2 independent reviewers were resolved through discussion until consensus was achieved.
Data Synthesis:
Four studies met the inclusion criteria, comprising 2 case reports, 1 mixed-methods feasibility study, and 1 cross-sectional study, with a total of 19 participants. Across studies, RAGT was generally reported to be feasible, well tolerated, and acceptable to patients, with no major safety concerns. Reported benefits included the ability to initiate overground ambulation, high-intensity repetitive gait practice, and reduced physical burden on therapists. Patient acceptance was supported by positive user experiences, adherence to training sessions, and completion of prescribed protocols, although outcome measures and reporting were inconsistent.
Conclusions:
The current evidence base for RAGT in adults with GBS is limited but suggests that it is a feasible and acceptable adjunct to conventional rehabilitation. Although functional improvements were reported, conclusions regarding effectiveness remain constrained by small sample sizes and study heterogeneity. Further prospective and methodologically robust studies are needed to better characterize feasibility, patient experience, and implementation considerations of RAGT in this population.
