Clinicians’ Perspectives on Safety, Ethical, and Legal Considerations for Home-Based Physical Rehabilitation Robots
Vignesh Velmurugan, Patrick Holthaus, Farshid Amirabdollahian, Mauro Dragone
Abstract
The growing demand for neurorehabilitation is driving the development of innovative, home-based robotic solutions, offering a promising approach to alleviate the strain on healthcare systems burdened by limited resources and workforce shortages. Despite significant technological advancements in rehabilitation robotics, adoption remains limited due to unresolved safety, legal, and ethical concerns. This study provides a comprehensive analysis of these three aspects from the perspective of experienced neurorehabilitation clinicians, offering valuable insights into the challenges surrounding home-based rehabilitation robots. Using a qualitative approach, we identified eight key themes derived from clinicians' feedback. These themes underscore critical areas, including the need for robust safety measures, regulatory clarity on liability and data privacy, and the ethical imperative of ensuring equitable access to technology for diverse user populations. Our findings highlight the need for a multifaceted approach to overcome these challenges, including user-centred design, rigorous testing, comprehensive user training, and necessary updates to regulatory frameworks to ensure the safe, effective, and equitable deployment of these technologies.