Article

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of robot-assisted arm
group therapy (RAGT) versus individual arm therapy (IAT) to restore motor
function in the moderately to severely affected patient after stroke. DESIGN:
Single blind randomized controlled trial. SETTING:
Two in-patient neurological
rehabilitation centers. PARTICIPANTS: Fifty first time subacute patients with
stroke and a non-functional hand. INTERVENTION: The patients practiced either 30
minutes of RAGT + 30 minutes of IAT (group A) or 2x30 minutes of IAT (group B),
per workday for four weeks. The RAGT consisted of six workstations enabling
repetitive practice of finger, wrist, forearm and shoulder movements. Patients
practiced according to their impairment level on at least two workstations per
session. The IAT followed the Motor Relearning Programme, enriched by elements of
the impairment-oriented training. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Changes of the Fugl Meyer
Score (FM, 0-66) between baseline and after 4 weeks, incremental cost
effectiveness. RESULTS: Patients were homogeneous at study onset. All patients
improved their upper limb motor function over time, but there were no between
group differences. The initial (terminal) FM scores were 14.6+/-9.4 (25.7+/-16.5)
in group A and 16.5+/-9.8 (31.1+/-19.1) in group B. The treatment of a single
patient with RAGT cost 4.15 euro, compared to 10.00 euro for a patient to receive
IAT. CONCLUSION: RAGT in combination with IAT was equally effective as a double
session of IAT regarding the restoration of upper limb motor functions in
moderate to severely affected subacute patients with stroke. The treatment costs
for RAGT were less.
CI - (c) The Author(s) 2014.

Langue : ANGLAIS