Eficacia y seguridad del sistema de rehabilitación intensiva dinámica con traje terapéutico en pacientes pediátricos con daño neurológico central / Efficacy and safety of the dynamic intensive rehabilitation system with a therapeutic suit in pediatric patients with central neurological damage

ANTECEDENTES: En el marco de la metodología ad hoc para evaluar solicitudes de tecnologías sanitarias. aprobada mediante Resoluc én del Instituto de Evaluación de Tecnologías en Salud e Investigación Nr 111-IETSI-ESSALUD-2021. se ha elaborado el presente dictamen. el cual expone la evaluación de la eficacia y seguridad del sistema de rehabilitación intensiva dinámica con traje terapéutico en pacientes pediátricos con daño neurológico central. De este moco. la Dra. Jeanette Borja Arroyo. especialista en medicina física y rehabilitación del Servicio de Rehabilitación Pediátrica del Hospital Nacional Edgardo Rebagliati Martins (HNERM). siguiendo la Directiva N° 001-IETSI-ESSALUD2018. envía al Instituto de Evaluación de Tecnologías en Salud e Investigación - IETSI la solicitud de inclusión del sistema de rehabilitación mediante protocolo Pediasuit en el petitorio de Dispositivos Médicos de EsSaiud. ASPECTOS GENERALES Las lesiones del sistema nervioso central causan una amplia gama de manifestaciones clínicas que varían de acuerdo con la ubicación y la gravedad del daño neuronal y del tejido conectivo circundante (Popovió & Sinkjr. 2013). Específicamente, la zona de la lesión focalizada en áreas motoras se relaciona con una interrupción del haz de axones dentro del sistema nervioso central o un nervio periférico que se manifiesta con la perdida de movilidad y sensibilidad de un grupo muscular (Popovió & Sinkjr, 2013). Uno de los desórdenes más comunes causado por una lesión en la corteza motora cerebral es la parálisis cerebral (PC). que se produce por la interacción de diversos factores o eventos que ocurren en el periodo prenatal, durante el parto, periodo posnatal o en los primeros años de vida, e impiden el desarrollo adecuado de la morfología cerebral. METODOLOGÍA: Se llevó a cabo una búsqueda bibliográfica amplia y exhaustiva con el objetivo de identificar la mejor evidencia disponible sobre la eficacia y seguridad del sistema de rehabilitación intensiva dinámica con traje terapéutico en pacientes pediátricos con daño neurológico central. La búsqueda bibliográfica se realizó en las bases de datos bibliográficas PubMed, The Cochrane Library. Web of Science y LILACS (Literatura Latinoamericana y del Caribe en Ciencias de la Salud) Asimismo, se realizó una búsqueda dentro de la información generada en las páginas web de grupos o instituciones que realizan revisiones sistemáticas (RS). evaluación de tecnologías sanitarias (ETS) y guías de práctica clínica (GPC), tales como el National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), la C,anadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health (CADTH). el Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC). la Haute Authorité de Santé (HAS). el Institute for Quality and Efficiency in HealthCare (IQWiG), el Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) yen la Base Regional de Informes de Evaluación de Tecnologias en Salud de las Américas (BRISA). y en las principales instituciones o sociedades especializadas en Fisioterapia: la Chartered Society of Physiotherapy. y la American Physical Therapy Association Además, se llevó a cabo una búsqueda manual en el motor de búsqueda Google utilizando los términos. -(motor function OR functionality OR functioning) AND (suit OR Pediasuit OR Therasuit OR Adeirsuit OR Modified suit OR Neurosuit OR Penguin suit OR Bungy suit)'. revisando en :as diez primeras páginas de resultados. a fin de poder identificar otras publicaciones de relevancia que pudiesen haber sido no identificadas durante la búsqueda en las cases de datos bibliográficas consideradas. Finalmente. serealizó una búsqueda manual en ClinicalTnals.gov para identificar ensayos clínicos aleatorizados (ECA) en curso o que no hayan sido publicados aún. RESULTADOS: Luego de la búsqueda bibliográfica hasta el 11 de julio de 2022 y la selección de evidencia. seidentificaron. dos GPC (NICE. 2012: Jackman et al.. 2021) y un ECA (Alagesan et al.. 2010). los cuales fueron considerados para su inclusión en el presente documento. CONCLUSIÓN: Por lo expuesto, el IETSI no aprueba el uso del sistema de rehabilitación intensiva dinámica con traje terapéutico en pacientes pediátricos con daño neurológico central Se recomienda a los especialistas que, en caso de identificar nueva evidencia que responda a la población de la PICO de interés, envíen sus propuestas para ser evaluadas en el marco de la Directiva N° 001-IETSI-ESSALUD-2018.

Clinical assessment, management, and rehabilitation of walking impairment in MS: an expert review.

INTRODUCTION: One of the most common and life-altering consequences of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is walking impairment. The distance, speed, and Gait pattern functions are components of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) and are also predictors of dependency in terms of daily living activities in patients with MS (pwMS). AREAS COVERED: This article provides an overview of walking impairment in pwMS, with focus on the assessment of gait and the rehabilitation approaches. EXPERT OPINION: The authors recommend that pwMS undergo gait assessment integrating the ICF perspective using validated clinical outcome measures that cover spatiotemporal gait parameters. Moreover, assessment of walking speed with short walking capacity tests such as the timed 25-foot walk (T25FW) or the 10-m walk test (10 MWT) and tests for walking distance with middle distance tests such as the 2-min walk test (2MWT) and the 6-min walk test (6MWT). This review further highlights strategies that may restore walking function including pharmacological symptomatic treatment and non-pharmacological rehabilitation approaches such as exercise and task-specific training providing an appraisal of mobility targeted therapies to be considered when planning multidisciplinary comprehensive-care of pwMS. Finally, new and novel strategies such as motor imagery and rhythmic auditory stimulation have been developed to improve walking speed and distance in pwMS.

Emotiv EPOC+ fed electrical muscle stimulation system; an inexpensive brain-computer interface for rehabilitation of neuro muscular disorders.

Advancements in the Neuro-rehabilitation across Pakistan is warranted to effectively and efficiently deal with the disease burden of neurological conditions. Being a developing country, an in-expensive treatment approach is required to culminate the rise in the disease occurrence in Pakistan. Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs) have come up as a new channel for communication and control, eliminating the need of physical input, opening doors to a wide array of applications in terms of assistive and rehabilitative devices for paralyzed patients and those with neuromuscular disorders. Even with a promising prospect, BCIs and electroencephalograms (EEG) can be very expensive and therefore, they are not practically applicable. For this reason, the purpose of the current study was to come up with a possibility of an inexpensive BCI for rehabilitation of patients with neuro-muscular disorders in Pakistan by using a low-cost and readily available equipment like Emotiv EPOC+ EEG headset and electrical muscle stimulator.

Assessment of Walking Routes as a Possible Approach for Promoting Physical Activity in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Brief Report.

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are at increased risk for being overweight/obese and face a variety of challenges with achieving the recommended levels of physical activity. Physical activity level has additionally been linked to motor skills, sleep, cognitive function and academic performance, and mental health in children with ASD. We pilot tested the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of walking routes as a novel approach to increasing physical activity among children with ASD. Physical activity was measured by accelerometry in 21 children ages 6-10 years. Participants received feedback on their physical activity and were counseled on using their surrounding neighborhoods to increase their physical activity. Non-completion (n = 9) reasons included equipment discomfort, family challenges, and diagnosis misattribution. While small changes in physical activity level and sedentary time were observed, neither was statistically significant. Further controlled studies on walking route interventions should continue to explore the potential benefits among this high-risk population.

A comparative examination of models of service delivery intended to support community integration in the immediate period following inpatient rehabilitation for spinal cord injury.

STUDY DESIGN: Qualitative study using semi-structured interviews. OBJECTIVES: To describe and compare models of service delivery intended to support community integration in the immediate period following inpatient rehabilitation for SCI, and describe the characteristics of these models or approaches. SETTING: Spinal services from multiple international countries METHODS: Semi-structured interviews were completed with 12 participants from a convenience sample of ten spinal services from developed economies. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and thematically analysed. RESULTS: Three themes were identified, and are described with supporting quotations. These are: Theme One-Models of service delivery (sub-themes: staffing, peer mentors, facilitating community integration during inpatient rehabilitation; Theme Two-Services provided (sub-themes: telehealth, vocational services, groups); Theme Three-Facilitating self-efficacy and self-management. CONCLUSIONS: A variety of models aimed at supporting community integration in the immediate period following inpatient rehabilitation for SCI were found. Multi-disciplinary staffing and involvement of peer mentors was common to all services. The importance of vocational rehabilitation was acknowledged by all participants, although the approaches taken to this varied. Telehealth has the potential to assist in self-management, particularly for patients who live a long distance from the spinal unit or are confined to the home for health reasons, and could be further developed. Although service models are greatly influenced by the funding context, the findings from this study can be used to inform service planning in this area.

Rehabilitación de las funciones ejecutivas en un caso de oligoastrocitoma frontal derecho / Rehabilitation of executive functions in a case of right frontal oligoastrocytoma

El desarrollo tecnológico y científico en salud de los últimos años ha permitido mejoras en el diagnóstico y mayor eficacia en el tratamiento de pacientes con tumores cerebrales, generado un aumento no solo en la supervivencia, sino también una mayor demanda de los servicios de neuropsicología y rehabilitación, debido a las alteraciones cognitivas asociadas y dificultades en cuanto a la funcionalidad e independencia, disminuyendo significativamente la calidad de vida de estos pacientes. La presente investigación documenta el caso de un paciente masculino de 43 años, remitido al servicio de neuropsicología tras la resección de oligoastrocitoma frontal derecho, en la evaluación neuropsicológica se evidenció alteraciones en funciones ejecutivas, fluidez de lenguaje discursivo y dificultad en habilidades instrumentales. La investigación se realizó bajo el diseño cuasi experimental de caso único, donde se aplicó en repetidas ocasiones a lo largo del tratamiento el Inventario de Adaptabilidad Mayo-Portland (MPAI-4) para determinar las dificultades funcionales del paciente. El objetivo de la rehabilitación neuropsicológica se centró en implementar estrategias de autoinstrucciones y automonitoreo, que pudieran ser aplicadas en contextos cotidianos y en intereses específicos del paciente. Los resultados indican que el proceso de rehabilitación neuropsicológica demostró tener un efecto positivo en la funcionalidad del paciente y las estrategias aprendidas pueden ser trasladadas a su vida cotidiana

The technological and scientific development on health in recent years has allowed improvements in diagnosis and treatment on brain tumor patients, have increase not only their survivor rate but also their need of neuropsychology and rehabilitation services due to cognitive alterations associated and the subsequent struggling with independence and functionality that reduces significantly their life quality. The present research documents the case of a male patient, 43 years old, referred to the service after resection of right frontal oligoastrocytoma, in the neuropsychologic evaluation evidenced executive functions, discursive language fluency alterations and difficulties in instrumental skills. The research was carried out under the quasi experimental design of a single case where there will be applied repeatedly during the course of treatment the Mayo-Portland Adaptability Inventory (MPAI-4) to identify functional difficulties on the patient. The objective of the neuropsychological rehabilitation focuses on implementing self-instruction and self-observance strategies in order to apply them on an ordinary context and the patient's specific areas of interest. The results indicate that the neuropsychological rehabilitation treatment has shown a positive effect on the patient's functionality and an improvement on his ability to apply the learned strategies to his day to day life.

Conception and development of Sexual Health indicators to advance the quality of spinal cord injury rehabilitation: SCI-High Project.

Context: Although spinal cord injury or disease (SCI/D) results in complex biological and psychosocial impairments that adversely impact an individual's overall quality of sexual life, sexual health is poorly integrated into the current rehabilitation processes. Therefore, it is vital to promote sexual health as a rehabilitation priority. Herein, we describe the selection of Sexual Health structure, process and outcome indicators for adults with SCI/D in the first 18 months after rehabilitation admission. Methods: Experts in sexual health and the SCI-High team identified key factors that influence the sexual health outcomes of rehabilitation interventions to inform Driver diagram development. This diagram informed the selection and development of indicators to promote a permissive environment for discussion of sexual health issues among regulated health care professionals (HCPs). A review of literature and psychometric properties of measurement tools facilitated final indicators selection. Results: The structure indicator is the proportion of rehabilitation HCPs who have completed annual preliminary sexual health training. The process indicator is the proportion of SCI/D inpatients that have a documented introduction to available local sexual health resources. The outcome indicator is a sexual health patient questionnaire used to assess sexual health patient outcomes and sexual health information/educational needs. Rapid-cycle piloting verified that the indicator tools developed are feasible for implementation. Conclusion: Successful implementation of the Sexual Health structure, process and outcome indicators will promote a permissive environment to enable open discussion, and lead to provision of equitable and optimal care related to sexual health following SCI/D. This will ultimately advance sexual health rehabilitation across the nation.

Development of an implementation-focused network to improve healthcare delivery as informed by the experiences of the SCI knowledge mobilization network.

Context: Implementing research findings into clinical practice is challenging. This manuscript outlines the experiences and key learnings from a network that operated as a community of practice across seven Canadian Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) rehabilitation centers. These learnings are being used to inform a new implementation-focused network involving SCI rehabilitation programs based in Ontario, Canada. Methods: The SCI KMN adapted and applied implementation science principles based on the National Implementation Research Network's (NIRN) Active Implementation Frameworks in the implementation of best practices in pressure injury and pain prevention and management. Results: The SCI KMN was successful in implementing best practices in both pressure ulcer and pain prevention and management across the various participating sites. Other key objectives met were building capacity in implementation methods in site personnel so that project scaling could occur with these skills and expertise applied to numerous other initiatives. Additionally, various papers, abstracts and conference presentation as well as an implementation guide were disseminated to inform the field of implementation science. Conclusion: The key lessons learned from this experience are being used to develop a new implementation-focused network. Features felt to be especially important for the SCI KMN includes a highly representative governance structure, the use of indicators within an overall evaluation framework and the systematic application of implementation processes with shared learnings supporting each site.

Prioritization of rehabilitation Domains for establishing spinal cord injury high performance indicators using a modification of the Hanlon method: SCI-High Project.

Objectives: To prioritize Domains of SCI Rehabilitation Care (SCI-Care) based on clinical importance and feasibility to inform the development of indicators of quality SCI-Care for adults with SCI/D in Canada. Methods: A 17-member external advisory committee, comprised of key stakeholders, ranked 15/37 Domains of rehabilitation previously flagged by the E-scan project team for gaps between knowledge generation and clinical implementation. Priority scores (D) were calculated using the Hanlon formula: D=[A+(2×B)]×C , where A is prevalence, B is seriousness, and C is the effectiveness of available interventions. A modified "EAARS" (Economic, Acceptability, Accessibility, Resources, and Simplicity) criterion was used to rank feasibility on a scale of 0-4 (4 is high). The product of these two scores determined the initial Domain ranking. Following the consensus process, further changes were made to the Domain rankings. Results: Despite a low feasibility score, Sexual Health was ranked as high priority; and, the Community Participation and Employment Domains were merged. The 11 final prioritized Domains in alphabetic order were: Cardiometabolic Health; Community Participation and Employment; Emotional Well-Being; Reaching, Grasping, and Manipulation; Self-Management; Sexual Health; Tissue Integrity; Urinary Tract Infection; Urohealth; Walking, and Wheeled Mobility. Conclusions: The modified Hanlon method was used to facilitate prioritization of 11 of 37 Domains to advance the quality of SCI-care by 2020. In future, the Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Care High Performance Indicators (SCI-High) Project Team will develop structure, process and outcome indicators for each prioritized Domain.

Telemedicina en procesos de rehabilitación en pacientes con paraplejia bajo el contexto de Atención Primaria de Salud / Telemedicine in rehabilitation processes in patients with paraplegia under the context of Primary Health Care

Encontrar estrategias costo-efectivas para la rehabilitación y la educación del paciente con paraplejia, basado en sus necesidades, es menester para su abordaje integral, así como para la disminución de costos directos e indirectos. La telemedicina podría ser una herramienta adecuada. Este trabajo se propuso realizar una revisión crítica de la literatura sobre la utilidad de la telemedicina para la rehabilitación y el manejo del paciente con paraplejia, en el contexto de la Atención Primaria de Salud. Se realizó una búsqueda en las bases de datos PubMed, Medline y EMBASE, con descriptores tipo MeSH y DeCS. No se aplicó ningún filtro de temporalidad, idioma o grupo etario. Se reunieron 134 artículos. El criterio de búsqueda y de selección se basó en los elementos PICO. Luego del análisis de contenido de cada uno, se escogieron 29 artículos. El análisis crítico de la literatura se realizó por medio de los elementos PRISMA. La telemedicina y la telerrehabilitación son herramientas que pudieran ser útiles para pacientes parapléjicos o cuadripléjicos; sin embargo, no existe literatura ni evidencia sobre este tipo de intervenciones en esta población. Intervenciones en pacientes con enfermedades neurológicas diferentes a la paraplejia muestran que potencialmente la telemedicina podría tener beneficios y reducir costos en la rehabilitación. Las herramientas tecnológicas y de telemedicina en pacientes parapléjicos podrían favorecer potencialmente su rehabilitación y el uso eficiente de los recursos; no obstante, es necesaria la realización de estudios en el área, para determinar el beneficio real de la telemedicina como estrategia de Atención Primaria de Salud en el paciente con paraplejia y cuadriplejia(AU)

Finding cost-effective strategies for the rehabilitation and education of patients with paraplegia, based on their needs, is necessary for their comprehensive approach, as well as for the reduction of direct and indirect costs. The objective of this work was to perform a critical review of the literature on the usefulness of telemedicine for the rehabilitation and management of patients with paraplegia, in the context of Primary Health Care. A review of the literature in the PubMed, Medline and EMBASE databases was performed with MeSH and DeCS type descriptors. No filter of temporality, language or age group was applied. 134 articles were collected. The searching and selection criteria were based on the PICO elements; after the content analysis of each one, 29 articles were chosen. The critical analysis of the literature was carried out through the PRISMA elements. Telemedicine and telerehabilitation are tools that could be useful for paraplegic or quadriplegic patients; however, there is no literature or evidence on this type of interventions in this population. Interventions in patients with neurological diseases other than paraplegia show that telemedicine could potentially have benefits and reduce rehabilitation costs. The technological and telemedicine tools in paraplegic patients could potentially favor their rehabilitation and efficient use of resources; however, studies in the area are necessary to determine the real benefit of telemedicine as a care strategy primary health in the patient with paraplegia and quadriplegia(AU)

Telemedicine in Rehabilitation.

Telerehabilitation refers to the virtual delivery of rehabilitation services into the patient's home. This methodology has shown to be advantageous when used to enhance or replace conventional therapy to overcome geographic, physical, and cognitive barriers. The exponential growth of technology has led to the development of new applications that enable health care providers to monitor, educate, treat, and support patients in their own environment. Best practices and well-designed Telerehabilitation studies are needed to build and sustain a strong Telerehabilitation system that is integrated in the current health care structure and is cost-effective.

Translation, reliability, and clinical utility of the Melbourne Assessment 2.

OBJECTIVE: The aims were to (i) provide a German translation of the Melbourne Assessment 2 (MA2), a quantitative test to measure unilateral upper limb function in children with neurological disabilities and (ii) to evaluate its reliability and aspects of clinical utility. METHODS: After its translation into German and approval of the back translation by the original authors, the MA2 was performed and videotaped twice with 30 children with neuromotor disorders. For each participant, two raters scored the video of the first test for inter-rater reliability. To determine test-retest reliability, one rater additionally scored the video of the second test while the other rater repeated the scoring of the first video to evaluate intra-rater reliability. Time needed for rater training, test administration, and scoring was recorded. RESULTS: The four subscale scores showed excellent intra-, inter-rater, and test-retest reliability with intraclass correlation coefficients of 0.90-1.00 (95%-confidence intervals 0.78-1.00). Score items revealed substantial to almost perfect intra-rater reliability (weighted kappa kw = 0.66-1.00) for the more affected side. Score item inter-rater and test-retest reliability of the same extremity were, with one exception, moderate to almost perfect (kw = 0.42-0.97; kw = 0.40-0.89). Furthermore, the MA2 was feasible and acceptable for patients and clinicians. CONCLUSIONS: The MA2 showed excellent subscale and moderate to almost perfect score item reliability. Implications for Rehabilitation There is a lack of high-quality studies about psychometric properties of upper limb measurement tools in the neuropediatric population. The Melbourne Assessment 2 is a promising tool for reliable measurement of unilateral upper limb movement quality in the neuropediatric population. The Melbourne Assessment 2 is acceptable and practicable to therapists and patients for routine use in clinical care.

Sensitivity to change and responsiveness of the Segmental Assessment of Trunk Control (SATCo) in children with spinal cord injury.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to assess the sensitivity and responsiveness of the Segmental Assessment of Trunk Control (SATCo) for evaluating trunk control in children with spinal cord injury (SCI) receiving activity-based locomotor training (AB-LT). METHODS: Prospective study of nine outcomes for consecutively enrolled children in outpatient AB-LT. To evaluate sensitivity to change, linear-mixed models were constructed and adjusted for covariates: age at and time since SCI. To evaluate responsiveness, standardized response means and 95% confidence intervals were estimated per outcome. RESULTS: SATCo scores increased significantly (p < 0.05) regardless of chronicity, initial score, and injury level. The SATCo was the most responsive measure and the only outcome demonstrating a large effect size after 3 months of therapy. CONCLUSIONS: Children with SCI receiving AB-LT improved trunk control regardless of chronicity, initial impairment, or prior experience. SATCo sensitivity and responsiveness support its usefulness in measuring trunk control in children with SCI.

Economic Evaluation of Activities of Daily Living Retraining During Posttraumatic Amnesia for Inpatient Rehabilitation Following Severe Traumatic Brain Injury.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of structured activities of daily living (ADL) retraining during posttraumatic amnesia (PTA) plus treatment as usual (TAU) vs TAU alone for inpatient rehabilitation following severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). DESIGN: Trial-based economic evaluation from a health-system perspective. SETTING: Inpatient rehabilitation center. PARTICIPANTS: Participants (N=104) admitted to rehabilitation and in PTA for >7 days following severe TBI. INTERVENTIONS: Structured ADL retraining during PTA plus TAU vs TAU alone. Structured ADL retraining was manualized to minimize the risk of agitation and maximize functional improvement, following principles of errorless and procedural learning and targeting individualized therapy goals. TAU included physiotherapy and/or speech therapy during PTA plus ADL retraining after PTA emergence. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: FIM total scores at baseline, PTA emergence, hospital discharge, or final follow-up (2mo postdischarge) where FIM total scores were calculated as the sum of 5 FIM motor self-care items and a FIM meal-preparation item. RESULTS: Structured ADL retraining during PTA significantly increased functional independence at PTA emergence (mean difference: 4.90, SE: 1.4, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.5, 8.3) and hospital discharge (mean difference: 5.22, SE: 1.4, 95% CI: 1.8, 8.7). Even in our most pessimistic scenario, structured ADL retraining was cost-saving as compared to TAU (mean: -$7762; 95% CI: -$8105, -$7419). Together, these results imply that structured ADL retraining dominates (less costly but no less effective) TAU when effectiveness is evaluated at PTA emergence and hospital discharge. CONCLUSIONS: Structured ADL retraining during PTA yields net cost-savings to the health system and offers a cost-effective means of increasing functional independence at PTA emergence and hospital discharge.

Identifying clinical complexity in patients affected by severe acquired brain injury in neurorehabilitation: a cross sectional survey.

BACKGROUND: Literature shows that occurrence of comorbidities in people with severe acquired brain injury (sABI) is a common problem in rehabilitation stay. Consequently, patients could require an increase of interventions for diagnosis and treatment of clinical conditions, with a reduction of the rehabilitative take in charge for both clinical and organizational aspects. AIM: The first aim was to evaluate the rate of clinical conditions of sABI patients at admission in rehabilitation and the types of rehabilitative interventions performed in the first week; second objective was to explore the impact of clinical conditions on real rehabilitative take in charge. DESIGN: Cross sectional study. SETTING: Inpatient rehabilitation centers. POPULATION: The study included data from 586 sABI patients. METHODS: Collected data regarded anamnestic information, functional status assessed by means of Glasgow Outcome Scale, Levels of cognitive functioning, Early Rehabilitation Barthel Index, comorbidities at admission and type of rehabilitative interventions carried out in first week of rehabilitation stay. Spearman correlation coefficients were applied to detect possible correlations between the number of treatments in first week and clinical variables; through a multiple regression analysis the effect of patient's characteristics on rehabilitative take in charge was explored. RESULTS: Data from the sABI patients: mean age 55.1±17.1 years; etiology of sABI was vascular in 315 patients (53.8%), anoxic in 83 (14.2%), neoplastic in 17 (2.9%), infectious in 15 (2.6%), traumatic in 150 (25.6%); 6 subjects (1%) presented a mixed etiology. Need of cardiorespiratory monitoring, pressure sores, infections or presence of multi drug resistant bacteria were the most frequent comorbidities. Passive mobilization, sitting positioning, arousal/awareness stimulation, evaluation and management of dysphagia were the interventions most frequently carried out in the first week. The regression analysis showed that severe neurological and clinical conditions, acute organ failure, cardio-respiratory instability and paroxysmal sympathetic hyperactivity significantly limit access to rehabilitative sessions. CONCLUSIONS: In sABI patients clinical comorbidities requiring elevated care assistance are frequent at admission in rehabilitation from acute wards and may interfere with rehabilitative take in charge. CLINICAL REHABILITATION IMPACT: The knowledge of clinical complexity of sABI patients may improve their care pathways, promoting early and appropriate transition from acute care to rehabilitation settings.

Systematic assessment of the rehabilitation needs in early stage dementia for home-dwelling people: a scoping review protocol.

REVIEW OBJECTIVE: The objective of this scoping review is to examine and map assessment tools and procedures that are used by health and social care professionals in dementia care for the systematic assessment of the need for rehabilitation in primary and/or secondary healthcare settings for home-dwelling people diagnosed with early stage dementia based on recognized diagnostic criteria.

[An assessment of the functional status in the neurorehabilitation of patients after ischemic stroke].

OBJECTIVE: Introduction: In this article, the authors focused on the symptoms of ischemic stroke and the effect of neurorehabilitation methods on the functional status of patients after ischemic stroke. The aim of the study was to evaluate and compare the functional status of patients after ischemic stroke with improved classic kinesiotherapy, classic kinesiotherapy and NDT-Bobath and classic kinesiotherapy and PNF. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Materials and methods: The study involved 120 patients after ischemic stroke. Patients were treated in the Department of Rehabilitation and Physical Medicine USK of Medical University in Lodz. Patients were divided into 3 groups of 40 people. Group 1 was rehabilitated by classical kinesiotherapy. Group 2 was rehabilitated by classic kinesiotherapy and NTD-Bobath. Group 3 was rehabilitated by classical kinesiotherapy and PNF. In all patient groups, magnetostimulation was performed using the Viofor JPS System. The study was conducted twice: before treatment and immediately after 5 weeks after the therapy. The effects of applied neurorehabilitation methods were assessed on the basis of the Rivermead Motor Assessment (RMA). RESULTS: Results: In all three patient groups, functional improvement was achieved. However, a significantly higher improvement was observed in patients in the second group, enhanced with classical kinesitherapy and NDT-Bobath. CONCLUSION: Conclusions: The use of classical kinesiotherapy combined with the NDT-Bobath method is noticeably more effective in improving functional status than the use only classical kinesiotherapy or combination of classical kinesiotherapy and PNF patients after ischemic stroke.

Objective motor assessment for personalized rehabilitation of upper extremity in brain injury patients.

BACKGROUND: The increasing number of patients with acquired brain injury and the current subjectivity of the conventional upper extremity (UE) assessment tests require new objective assessment techniques. OBJECTIVE: This research proposes a novel objective motor assessment (OMA) methodology based on the Fugl-Meyer assessment (FMA). The goals are to automatically calculate the objective scores (OSs) of FMA-UE movements (as well as a global OS) and to interpret the estimated OSs. METHODS: Fifteen patients participated in the study. The OMA algorithm was designed to detect small-scale variations in UE movements. The OSs for 14 FMA-UE movements and the global OSs were automatically calculated using the algorithm and evaluated by 2 therapists. The interpretation of the global OSs was performed at 3 levels: by item, movement and globally. RESULTS: The global OSs calculated by our algorithm had a significant correlation with the therapists' scores (0.783 and 0.938, p <  0.01). All OSs for each movement were correlated with the scores given by the therapists. The correlation coefficient can reach values as high as 0.981 (p <  0.01). CONCLUSIONS: We provide a new objective assessment tool for therapists to help them improve the diagnostic accuracy and to achieve a more personalized and potentially effective physical rehabilitation of brain injury patients.

Assessment of user voluntary engagement during neurorehabilitation using functional near-infrared spectroscopy: a preliminary study.

BACKGROUND: Functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) finds extended applications in a variety of neuroscience fields. We investigated the potential of fNIRS to monitor voluntary engagement of users during neurorehabilitation, especially during combinatory exercise (CE) that simultaneously uses both, passive and active exercises. Although the CE approach can enhance neurorehabilitation outcome, compared to the conventional passive or active exercise strategies, the active engagement of patients in active motor movements during CE is not known. METHODS: We determined hemodynamic responses induced by passive exercise and CE to evaluate the active involvement of users during CEs using fNIRS. In this preliminary study, hemodynamic responses of eight healthy subjects during three different tasks (passive exercise alone, passive exercise with motor imagery, and passive exercise with active motor execution) were recorded. On obtaining statistically significant differences, we classified the hemodynamic responses induced by passive exercise and CEs to determine the identification accuracy of the voluntary engagement of users using fNIRS. RESULTS: Stronger and broader activation around the sensorimotor cortex was observed during CEs, compared to that during passive exercise. Moreover, pattern classification results revealed more than 80% accuracy. CONCLUSIONS: Our preliminary study demonstrated that fNIRS can be potentially used to assess the engagement of users of the combinatory neurorehabilitation strategy.