Research Medical Officer # 015499

Stroke is the leading cause of acquired disability in the West. Every year, stroke affects 17 million people worldwide, and estimates are that there are 80 million stroke survivors globally. The upswing in the number of survivors, living with the long-term sequelae of a brain injury and the corresponding costs associated with stroke care, will represent a considerable burden for global healthcare economies. While age-standardised incidence rates for stroke are falling in the West, this trend continues to be outweighed by a growing ageing population.

In Ireland, 10,000 people are currently affected by a stroke per year. 93% of patients suffer from mild to moderate stroke. 83% of patients typically suffer from mobility difficulties. Only 40% of patients have access to community rehabilitation, while 36% are known to pay privately for rehabilitation. The national guidelines for stroke recommend that ‘people with stroke should accumulate at least 45 minutes of each appropriate therapy every day, at a frequency that enables them to meet their rehabilitation goals, and for as long as they are willing and capable of participating and showing measurable benefit from treatment’. Yet, the latest Irish National Stroke Audit reports that, according to physiotherapists, 53% of patients did not receive sufficient therapy by this standard. Occupational therapists report that number to be 67%. Certainly, increased intensity of therapy and early intervention results in better functional outcomes. It has been reported that most spontaneous recovery occurs in the first 3-6 months following a cerebrovascular event.

The purpose of this role is to engage with hospitals in Ireland for the management and reporting of the interventions with STROHAB, a novel personalised telerehabilitation platform through extended reality (XR) to augment conventional rehabilitation. The Software as Medical Device (SaMD) aims to supplement physical practice and maximise early intervention with emerging XR technology once patients are discharged home, alongside the present standard of care. As a tool within integrated healthcare delivery, patients can actively participate in their rehabilitation journey with their allied therapists from the day they are an inpatient in a stroke unit or remotely once discharged home. Patients can have access to virtual rehabilitation anytime, anywhere.

The role allows to demonstrate the capacity for independent and self-directed research and scholarship and the management of clinical interventions.

This role is funded from Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) for the next 18 months to utilise XR applications for the development of a stroke tele-rehabilitation platform, although the post is advertised for a 6- month period due to the two-phase review strategy of the project delivery.

Competition closes:  17th January 2023

Apply Below (Ref: 015499)

https://www.ucd.ie/workatucd/jobs/