Training model for promoting translation from research to clinical settings: University of Alabama at Birmingham training for constraint-induced movement therapy.

A common challenge in stroke rehabilitation research is the translation of research findings into the clinical setting. Multiple factors present obstacles to dissemination and adoption, including the complexity of the physical rehabilitation protocols and the shift in practice required by treatment philosophies that require innovative approaches. The Constraint-Induced Movement (CI) Therapy Research Group (CITRG) at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) has developed and conducted a 5-day training program for clinicians and researchers that has been delivered semiannually since 2005. The goals of this training program are to accurately disseminate the CI therapy protocol for upper-limb recovery after stroke that has been researched at UAB, provide hands-on instruction, clarify questions and correct misunderstandings about components of the treatment protocol, and provide advice on implementing it in clinical and research settings. To date, more than 170 clinicians and researchers, from the United States and abroad, have participated in the training program at UAB. Many have successfully carried out the protocol back in their institutions. This JRRD guest editorial describes the evolution of the UAB CI Therapy Training Program, details the instructional elements provided in the program, describes posttraining experiences of selected program participants, and discusses future plans for the training program to further enhance the translation of CI therapy into other clinical and research settings. The program provides an example of how research findings can be translated into a practical clinical program and then disseminated for use by clinicians and researchers.