Research

Participate in a new clinical trial for stroke inpatient rehabilitation:
The multi-center SIRROWS trial (see Dobkin et al. Neurorehabil Neural Repair 2010; 24:235), which included 18 sites from members of the ASNR and WFNR, showed that simple reinforcement about walking speed each day improved walking-related outcomes at discharge from inpatient stroke rehab.

The next group randomized clinical trial, Stroke Inpatient Rehabilitation Reinforcement of ACTivity (SIRRACT), will utilize sensors that reveal the type, quantity, and aspects of quality of patient activities. SIRRACT will deploy inexpensive triaxial accelerometers worn on the ankles. Trained machine-learning algorithms developed by engineers and computer scientists at UCLA can identify and characterize typical movements from sensor data in real-world settings, such as how often, at what speeds, and with what level of leg symmetry the subjects walk. This randomized, multi-center clinical trial will bring these measures into daily care to monitor activity on the inpatient rehabilitation unit, assess compliance with exercise and skills practice, and test the utility of providing feedback to patients about the type and quantity of their daily skills practice and exercise related to mobility.

No funding is available for sites, but the sensors will be provided at no cost. You would incur modest costs for a blinded observer and coordinator working part-time. All data is managed over the Internet. We ask each of the 20 sites who sign on to aim to enter at least 12 subjects within 1 year, starting in September, 2010. Outpatient follow-up is optional. If interested in participating, contact Bruce Dobkin, MD to receive a protocol and a template for your Review Board submission: bdobkin@mednet.ucla.edu