Effect of Upper Limb Robot Therapy on Cognitive Function and Activities of Daily Living in Stroke Patients

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the effect of upper-limb robot therapy on cognitive function and activities of daily living after a stroke. A total of 20 stroke patients were enrolled from C hospital in this study. Each patient was assigned to either the control or experimental group. The experimental group received both upper-limb robot therapy and general rehabilitation treatment, while the control group only received the general rehabilitation treatment. The intervention time was for 60 minutes in 5 sessions weekly for 8 weeks. To examine changes before and after treatment, outcomes were assessed using the Mini-Mental State Examination Modified-K (MMSE-K), K-Barthel Index (K-MBI), and Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA). After 8 weeks of intervention, a significant improvement was observed in the experimental group compared to that in the control group (MMSE-K (p=.011), K-MBI (p=.028), and FMA (p=.021)). Thus, this study showed promising results where stroke patients were able to recover cognitive function and daily life activities effectively with upper-limb robot therapy when provided in combination with general rehabilitation treatment as compared to only general rehabilitation treatment.