The rehabilitation robot: factors influencing its use, advantages and limitations in clinical rehabilitation

Purpose Despite the proven effectiveness of rehabilitation robots (RR) in the literature, they are still little used in clinical rehabilitation. The aim of this study was to analyse the factors influencing the use of RR and the perception of therapists who used RR. Method In order to characterize the factors influencing the use of RR by therapists, a semi-structured interview was conducted with 18 therapists. These interviews are based on an interview guide inspired by the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology model. The interviews were recorded and then transcribed, summarized and finally synthesized cross-sectionally. In addition and in parallel, the System Usability Scale (SUS) was also proposed to clinicians in order to collect quantitative data. Results The interviews highlight the facilitators perceived by the therapists, such as the intensity of the movement, the complementarity with conventional rehabilitation. The results also showed the possible barriers perceived, these can be sometimes inconclusive (e.g., bugs). The SUS results show no effect, either on the gender of the users, their therapists, or the duration of use of the tool. Conclusion Better communication on the functionality of the robot and the construction of achievable goals would lead to more results that are conclusive but also better patient care. To date, and despite the evidence for the effectiveness of RRs, therapists believe that there are still many barriers to their use. They agree, however, that if changes are made, RRs will become an integral part of therapy.