Upper Limb Home-Based Robotic Rehabilitation During COVID-19 Outbreak

Area of Science:

• Rehabilitation Medicine
• Digital Health
• Robotics in Healthcare

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic created access barriers to traditional rehabilitation services.
• Patients with severe COVID-19, comorbidities, and those requiring physical therapy faced limited access to care.
• Social distancing and stay-at-home orders necessitated alternative rehabilitation delivery models.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the potential of home-based telerehabilitation for patients during the COVID-19 outbreak.
• To investigate a hybrid model integrating telerehabilitation frameworks and robotic devices for remote patient monitoring and treatment.
• To discuss critical factors for successful home-based telerehabilitation, including patient engagement and adaptability.

Main Methods:

• Review of state-of-the-art telerehabilitation frameworks and robotic devices.
• Conceptualization of a hybrid telerehabilitation model for remote treatment and progress assessment.
• Discussion of patient social support, engagement, and adaptability requirements for home-based therapy.

Main Results:

• Home-based rehabilitation can benefit patients facing access barriers.
• A hybrid model using telerehabilitation and robotics enables remote monitoring and treatment.
• Patient compliance, mental engagement, social support, and adaptability are crucial for success.

Conclusions:

• Reformed rehabilitation services should incorporate home-based solutions for daily living activities.
• An on-demand ambulatory unit is suggested for intensive training with remote cognitive and motor monitoring.
• Telerehabilitation offers a viable approach to continue essential physical therapy services during public health crises.