Burden of treatment in the light of the international classification of functioning, disability and health: a "best fit" framework synthesis.

Purpose: This systematic literature review aimed to (1) summarize and explain the concept of Burden of Treatment (BoT) using the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) terminology, and (2) inform the development of a future Comprehensive ICF Core Set for BoT.

Method: Searches on EMbase, Medline, CINAHL and PsycINFO were conducted. Only qualitative studies were considered for inclusion.

Development and psychometric evaluation of a new patient -reported outcome measure for stroke self -management: The Southampton Stroke Self - Management Questionnaire (SSSMQ).

Background: Self-management is important to the recovery and quality of life of people following stroke. Many interventions to support self-management following stroke have been developed, however to date no reliable and valid outcome measure exists to support their evaluation. This study outlines the development and preliminary investigation of the psychometric performance of a newly developed patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) of self-management competency following stroke; the Southampton Stroke Self-Management Questionnaire (SSSMQ).

Stroke self-management: a focus group study to identify the factors influencing self-management following stroke.

Background: Self-management refers to the strategies, decisions and activities individuals take to manage a long-term health condition. Self-management has potential importance for reducing both the personal and health service impact of illness. Stroke represents a significant health and social burden, however there is a lack of clarity about the factors that support successful self-management following stroke.

Translation of evidence-based Assistive Technologies into stroke rehabilitation: users' perceptions of the barriers and opportunities.

Background: Assistive Technologies (ATs), defined as "electrical or mechanical devices designed to help people recover movement", demonstrate clinical benefits in upper limb stroke rehabilitation; however translation into clinical practice is poor. Uptake is dependent on a complex relationship between all stakeholders. Our aim was to understand patients', carers' (P&Cs) and healthcare professionals' (HCPs) experience and views of upper limb rehabilitation and ATs, to identify barriers and opportunities critical to the effective translation of ATs into clinical practice.

Internal and external focus of attention during gait re-education: an observational study of physical therapist practice in stroke rehabilitation.

Background: Focus of attention is known to play an important role in motor skill learning, yet little is known about how attention is directed within the context of stroke rehabilitation.

Objective: The aims of this study were: (1) to identify physical therapists' use of internal and external focus of attention during gait rehabilitation for individuals with hemiplegia following stroke and (2) to use the findings to design an experimental study examining the impact of focus of attention on learning poststroke.

Design: The study design involved direct nonparticipation observation of physical therapy treatment sessions.

Markerless motion capture and measurement of hand kinematics: validation and application to home-based upper limb rehabilitation.

Dynamic movements of the hand, fingers, and thumb are difficult to measure due to the versatility and complexity of movement inherent in function. An innovative approach to measuring hand kinematics is proposed and validated. The proposed system utilizes the Microsoft Kinect and goes beyond gesture recognition to develop a validated measurement technique of finger kinematics.