Moving rehabilitation research forward: Developing consensus statements for rehabilitation and recovery research

If this occurred, I never saw the results. And they didn't ask me to attend. Ask your doctor about this meeting, if s/he doesn't even know about it they should be fired.
In May 2016, the first Stroke Recovery and Rehabilitation Roundtable will be held
http://wso.sagepub.com/content/11/4/454.abstract

1. Julie Bernhardt1,2⇑
2. Karen Borschmann1,2
3. Lara Boyd3
4. S Thomas Carmichael4
5. Dale Corbett5,6
6. Steven C Cramer7
7. Tammy Hoffmann8
8. Gert Kwakkel9
9. Sean I Savitz10
10. Gustavo Saposnik11,12
11. Marion Walker13
12. Nick Ward14,15

1. ¹NHMRC Centre for Research Excellence in Stroke Rehabilitation and Recovery, Victoria, Australia
2. ²The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Heidelberg, Australia
3. ³Department of Physical Therapy and the Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, BC, Canada
4. ⁴Departments of Neurology and Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, USA
5. ⁵Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
6. ⁶Heart and Stroke Foundation Canadian Partnership for Stroke Recovery, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
7. ⁷Departments of Neurology, Anatomy & Neurobiology, and Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, University of California, Irvine, USA
8. ⁸Centre for Research in Evidence-Based Practice, Bond University, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
9. ⁹Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam, VU University Medical Centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
10. ¹⁰Stroke Program, McGovern Medical School, UTHealth, Houston, Texas, USA
11. ¹¹Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
12. ¹²Stroke Outcomes Research Center, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, Toronto, Canada
13. ¹³Division of Rehabilitation and Ageing, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
14. ¹⁴Sobell Department of Motor Neuroscience UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London, UK
15. ¹⁵National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, Queen Square, London, UK

1. Julie Bernhardt, The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, 245 Burgundy Street Heidelberg, Victoria 3084 Australia. Email: julie.bernhardt@florey.edu.au

Abstract

Stroke recovery is the next frontier in stroke medicine. While growth in rehabilitation and recovery research is exponential, a number of barriers hamper our ability to rapidly progress the field. Standardized terminology is absent in both animal and human research, methods are poorly described, recovery biomarkers are not well defined, and we lack consistent timeframes or measures to examine outcomes. Agreed methods and conventions for developing, monitoring, evaluating and reporting interventions directed at improving recovery are lacking, and current approaches are often not underpinned by biology. We urgently need to better understand the biology of recovery and its time course in both animals and humans to translate evidence from basic science into clinical trials. A new international partnership of stroke recovery and rehabilitation experts has committed to advancing the research agenda. In May 2016, the first Stroke Recovery and Rehabilitation Roundtable will be held, with the aim of achieving an agreed approach to the development, conduct and reporting of research. A range of methods will be used to achieve consensus in four priority areas: pre-clinical recovery research; biomarkers of recovery; intervention development, monitoring and reporting; and measurement in clinical trials. We hope to foster a global network of researchers committed to advancing this exciting field. Recovery from stroke is challenging for many survivors. They deserve effective treatments underpinned by our evolving understanding of brain recovery and human behaviour. Working together, we can develop game-changing interventions to improve recovery and quality of life in those living with stroke.