The use of robotic devices in rehabilitation is increasingly taking hold in recent years, particularly for complex patients such as those with acquired or degenerative neurological disorders. Despite this considerable increase in use, there are still many significant discrepancies in the clinical use of these technologies, in the contexts in which they are provided, and in the evaluation of their outcomes. For these reasons, an Italian Consensus Conference was led to bring together many experts of neurological rehabilitation from all over Italy.
The Italian Consensus Conference on Robotics in Rehabilitation
In the triennium 2019-2021 the Consensus Conference “CICERONE” (Italian Consensus Conference on Robotics in Rehabilitation) promoted by SIMFER (Italian Society of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation) and SIRN (Italian Society of Neurological Rehabilitation) was held in Rome on rehabilitation assisted by robotic and electromechanical devices for persons with disabilities of neurological origin.
As an expert representative of the bioengineering field, Andrea Merlo actively participated in the CICERONE conference that aimed to provide:
- definitions and classifications of robotic devices
- indications on the clinical use in neurological patients
- theoretical models of reference for the development of devices
- indications on appropriate organizational contexts for the use of devices
- regulatory and ethical considerations on robotic rehabilitation
Throughout a revision process of the available scientific evidence, results have been presented to the scientific body of the Italian Health Ministry (Istituto Superiore di Sanità – ISS). You can consult the final program here.
Moreover, some important publications have been drafted, aiming to provide uniform and shared guidelines to clinicians and researchers on the criteria for the use of robotic rehabilitation in neurology. A report of them will be published in the upcoming days in the News section.
