Chapter 22 - Middle East region: Iran

Abstract

Stroke, as a major cause of disability, is one of the most frequent medical diagnoses in Iran and worldwide. Iran is an upper-middle-income country and has an incidence of stroke of around 100,000 new cases annually. A considerable percentage of stroke incidents leads to neurological and sensorimotor disabilities. Thus neurorehabilitation is essential for stroke survivors to optimize functional recovery. We first present a statistical analysis and demographic data on the aging society, and one major diagnosis, stroke. Then, the healthcare system approaches and the prevailing trends and methods of therapy for stroke patients are introduced. Later, the adoption of neurorehabilitation and modern rehabilitation methods into the healthcare system is discussed, and current high-tech and robotics approaches, both available in rehabilitation units and under research in academic institutions, are introduced. Finally, an analysis of current stroke rehabilitation with a focus on the capacity of high-tech and robotic stroke rehabilitation is presented based on the data gathered through a survey of healthcare practitioners. Based on this study, the capacity of adopting robotics in rehabilitation is assessed as promising as long as major barriers are resolved. The most pronounced barriers are financial shortcomings due to the capital and maintenance costs of the technology, and the lack of public knowledge and trust toward these modern methods.