Acceptability of robot assisted active arm exercise as part of rehabilitation after stroke

iPAM is a dual robot system developed at the University of Leeds to assist people with stroke who have moderate to severe arm weakness undertake active exercises. If the system is to be adopted in into routine clinical practice, it is essential that it is accepted by people with stroke and their treating therapists. This paper presents results of a formal evaluation of the acceptance of this system as part of rehabilitation treatment for the perspective of the patient and therapist. The aim of the study was to assess user acceptance of iPAM in terms of usability, safety, comfort and desire for future use with the context of using it as part of their treatment program. 16 participants with a range of arm impairments took part in an evaluation of the usability of the system. The study involved up to 20 hour long sessions of robot mediated exercise over the course of five to seven weeks. Results show a high level of acceptance across the participants, with patients feeling safe and comfortable when using the iPAM system and demonstrating a willingness to use the system as part of their rehabilitation treatment. Six practising therapists reported some enthusiasm for its use as an adjunctive treatment but identified issues such as cost and mechanisms to embed use of the system within the UK National Health Service infrastructure.