Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development NIH Rehabilitation Plan

NIH should fund analysis of retrospective natural experiments of rehab care that arise from states or localities having different lockdown procedures during the covid-19 pandemic.

Exacerbated by COVID-19, many individuals do not have adequate access to the in-person physical therapy they need to improver their function. Researchers should leverage intelligent, powered devices to provide increased access to clinician-guided rehabilitation programs through telerehab. Theme C captures this need perfectly.

This may be too granular, but in case it would be helpful, the American Academy of Orthotists and Prosthetists (AAOP) put out their updated list of research priorities here:

https://www.oandp.org/general/custom.asp?page=research-priorities-2020

Good Luck!

I love this point within the theme: "A5. Capitalize on programs like All of Us and other large data sets to study the natural history of conditions that cause disability and common secondary conditions associated with disability," and I just wondered if there was also potential to either follow-up with participants who submit data in All of Us to gather more specific information to answer detailed research questions,... more »

I love all of the great objectives in Theme C: Technology Use and Development, but one thing that might be lacking is effort to specifically unify tech platforms/innovations so that we (researchers) aren't constantly reinventing the wheel by developing new app platforms, telehealth systems, or data sharing sites that may end up redundant or incompatible with existing tech infrastructures. This is maybe an issue that NCMRR... more »

This comment crosses between Theme F: Building Research Capacity and Infrastructure and Theme C: Technology Use and Development, especially "C4. Apply augmented intelligence systems for processing and interpreting data from individuals and populations."

In a nutshell, for rehabilitation researchers to be able to apply AI algorithms to process and interpret large rehab datasets, we first need to have our rehab data recorded... more »

I like the idea C1. I would recommend incorporating a participatory design process (if possible) to identify needs unique to people with disabilities or populations that need rehabilitation. User-involvement in the early stages of technology development will lead to effective and affordable user-centered solutions. In addition, use of open-source standards will increase the pace of innovation and promote adoption.

This plan is ambitious, visionary, inclusive, and potentially transformative for rehabilitation science and clinical practice. There remains, however, a major obstacle or gap between the concepts put forth in this document and "the readiness" of both reviewers and applicants to embrace the value, feasibility, and impact of some of the themes and specific approaches within these themes. In my role now as a PI for one of... more »

This is an impressive set of themes and objectives that is visionary. I like that this plan extends across NIH and is not just a plan for NCMRR. The NIH is definitely headed in the right direction. I am curious about how progress towards the objectives will be measured. A small concern is the ambitious nature with 6 themes and many objectives per theme. This may make it hard to achieve all that is intended over the coming... more »

People living with limb loss or limb difference could greatly benefit from mental health being a core component of rehabilitative care. Levels of depression and anxiety are significantly higher among people living with limb loss following trauma when compared to the general population, and we need data on long-term mental health outcomes (Mckechnie Injury 2014). This community also identifies a need for mental health... more »

Theme A:

A.4. Consider the transition into early childhood and from early childhood to middle childhood, to be inclusive to a broader range of critical transitions throughout the lifespan.

Theme B:

B.3. Consider modifying wording to "…promote independence and participation" as community integration is a term specific to adults, not commonly used in pediatric contexts. This way, research on sociodemographic influences... more »