Reminiscent music therapy combined with robot-assisted rehabilitation for older patients with upper limb dysfunction after stroke: protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Abstract Background Stroke is the main disease that causes the burden of neurological disease in elderly people, leading to upper limb dysfunction and affecting their self-care ability. Robot-assisted rehabilitation therapy has been gradually used in the rehabilitation of upper limb function after stroke. However, it is necessary to add auxiliary intervention to relieve negative emotions and post-stroke fatigue, and improve rehabilitation outcomes. This paper presents a protocol for a randomized controlled trial that aims to evaluate the effectiveness of reminiscent music therapy combined with robot-assisted rehabilitation in older patients with upper limb dysfunction after stroke. Methods This trial is a single-blind, three-arm randomized controlled trial. Older stroke patients with upper limb dysfunction will be recruited and followed up for 4 weeks. All participants will be randomly assigned to receive usual rehabilitation treatment and care (control), usual rehabilitation treatment and care plus robot-assisted rehabilitation and reminiscent music therapy (experimental group 1), or usual rehabilitation treatment and care plus robot-assisted rehabilitation (experimental group 2). Usual rehabilitation treatment, including drug treatment, comprehensive training of hemiplegic limbs and physical therapy, will be formulated by rehabilitation doctors and neurologists according to the specific conditions of the participants. Robot-assisted rehabilitation will be conducted by rehabilitation doctors for 4 weeks. In experimental group 1, a reminiscent song list will be played for patients with a wireless headset when they are training. The primary outcome is activities of daily living and secondary outcomes include self-esteem, rehabilitation self-efficacy, positive emotion and upper limb function. All outcomes will be evaluated at baseline, after 2 weeks of the intervention, in the week immediately post-intervention and at 4-week post-intervention. Discussion To the best of our knowledge, we are conducting the first randomized controlled trial on the effects of reminiscent music therapy combined with robot-assisted rehabilitation in older stroke patients with upper limb dysfunction. It is expected that this study, if proven effective in improving the activities of daily living in older stroke patients with upper limb dysfunction, will provide evidence-based rehabilitation strategies for medical staffs. Trial registration: This trial was registered at ChiCTR.org.cn (registration number is ChiCTR2200063738 and registered on September 15, 2022).