Development and Validation of a Survey Tool for Rehabilitation Technology Adoption—Preliminary Findings

This study aimed to create and validate a survey tool based on the Design for AcceleRated Translation (DART) framework to predict adoption potential of rehabilitation technologies (RT). We hypothesized that end-user feedback on seven key items–cost, safety, effectiveness, clinical demand, patient values, relative advantage, and clinical utility—can forecast implementation potential. We developed the survey in three phases: item development, scale development, and scale evaluation. We yielded 222 responses from 98 clinicians. Exploratory factor analysis revealed that the seven items cluster into four distinct factors: cost; safety; effectiveness, clinical utility, and relative advantage as a combined factor; and clinician demand and patient value as another cofactor. This tool enables early identification and mitigation of barriers to clinical adoption in the development of RT.