New technology being developed in stroke rehabilitation therapy is coming at a time when providers are looking for ways to improve patient outcomes without incurring additional costs. Tools that help clinicians address that need could be in high demand, and companies that deal in the rehab market believe medical facilities are becoming more receptive to devices that can help improve efficiency. One of the technology areas with particular potential is robotics, which has long promised to offer labor-saving tools that allow humans to do more. In stroke therapy, that promise is starting to be fulfilled, and although a good deal still needs to be learned about the role robotics will ultimately play in patient care, this once futuristic segment of the industry has made impressive gains in the last decade. As one manufacturer in the space notes, the technology has markedly improved in recent years, and that has led to better robotic devices and equipment that can not only benefit patients, but also can make a positive economic impact on the health facilities that use these tools.
Even though some robotic products have been on the market for a while, the pressures of health care reform are giving providers a new reason to look at these devices...