2025 Volume 15 Issue 1 Pages 1-11
We conducted a scoping review to identify gaps between the current use of robotic therapy and prior research in Japan on patients with upper limb paralysis following stroke. Of the 148 articles initially identified, 24 articles involving 32 patients met the inclusion criteria. The results indicated that robotic therapy has not yet been successfully transitioned to support independent training, and a lack of consistency in the evaluation methods used to assess upper limb function during robotic therapy persists. The findings highlight the importance of reports aimed at facilitating the transition the use of robotic therapy from therapist-assisted training to independent training. In addition, the review suggests that understanding the characteristics of evaluation scales—and selecting them based on the intended purpose of the equipment—would support a more detailed gradation of robotic therapy. However, due to the small number of participants in this study, it is necessary to increase the number of reports and further examine their usefulness in Japan.