Glove Rehabilitation Application for Stroke Patients (GRASP)

PROJECT SUMMARY ABSTRACT Introduction The Glove Rehabilitation Application for Stroke Patients GRASP Fast Track SBIR program will promote recovery of hand function following stroke through an instrumented orthosis that enables functional practice of manual tasks in fun and engaging activities within a virtual environment The effort combines patented sensor glove technology developed under the NASA space suit program with a commercial hand orthosis and modern game engine technology GRASP will automatically assess a patientandapos s functional level and adapt the challenge to his her capabilities In each session the system will automatically produce valid metrics of hand function providing both patients and providers with immediate feedback on status and progress The low cost product will support independent home use as well as serve as part of a therapist guided in patient skilled nursing outpatient home health or teletherapy rehabilitation program Problem to be addressed GRASP addresses the critical challenges of improving outcomes in hand therapy through task directed practice and mental imagery that promote functional recovery enabling increased dosage intensity and duration through independent home use and teletherapy minimizing total cost of rehabilitation by reducing patient therapist travel and improving services in underserved areas Long Term Goal Improved outcomes and functional independence for patients with acquired brain injury Phase I Summary Phase I of the Fast Track will produce a prototype system that consists of a sensor package and software application that permits a commercial glove orthosis to be used for practice of virtual activities of daily living ADLs in a compelling virtual world A pilot study conducted by the University of Virginia UVa UVa HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital and Continuum Home Health will investigate the primary Phase I hypothesis which states that GRASP generated metrics correlate significantly with accepted measures of hand function Two Phase I case studies led by home health therapists will explore usability in the home environment and serve as pathfinders for Phase II efficacy trials Phase II Summary Phase II of the Fast Track will include development of a commercial system extension of the range of hand therapy activities and expansion of virtual environments to provide an engaging and motivating experience across weeks of treatment provider tools for prescribing and monitoring status progress and teletherapy interfaces A Phase II efficacy study will investigate improvement in standardized assessment scores and adherence for GRASP at home therapy vs standard care Randomized controlled trials will be led by UVa in partnership with HealthSouth and Continuum Home Health Commercial Opportunity Approximately of the individuals hospitalized due to stroke each year in the U S suffer from chronic deficits in hand and or arm function GRASP is poised to rapidly transition evidence based research to market by leveraging an existing brand with well defined distribution channels PROJECT NARRATIVE The proposed Glove Rehabilitation Application for Stroke Patients GRASP product consists of an instrumented glove orthosis and virtual world based software that will enable functional practice of activities of daily living through a standard personal computer The proposed Fast Track SBIR research addresses important public health concerns by improving stroke outcomes in hand function by enabling increased frequency and intensity of practice promoting functional recovery through combined physical practice and mental imagery providing reliable tracking mechanisms for patient activity functional status and progress increasing access to remote and underserved areas through teletherapy services and controlling cost by reducing patient therapist travel expenses