["You've Awakened Something": Mobile-Outpatient Rehabilitation from the Perspective of Participants with...

The aim of the present study was to develop and test a mobile and outpatient rehabilitation program for individuals with cognitive and/or multiple impairments as part of a feasibility study. The therapies were delivered both in the clinic and in the social environment (e.g., residential settings, sheltered workshops, public swimming pools). The objective of this qualitative analysis was to examine barriers to accessing rehabilitation that participants generally encounter, how they experienced their participation in the newly piloted mobile outpatient rehabilitation program, which factors contributed to goal achievement, and how participants assessed the sustainability of the intervention.

Semi-structured face-to-face interviews were conducted with all 15 project participants at the end of their participation. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed using structured qualitative content analysis according to Kuckartz and Rädiker.

Participants reported numerous barriers to accessing medical rehabilitation, including rejected rehabilitation applications and structural barriers within facilities. The SIMRE intervention was evaluated positively. Factors supporting goal achievement included sufficient therapy time, adequate staff resources, and the combination of mobile and outpatient therapy. A comprehensive needs assessment within participants' living and working environments was found to be essential for individualized planning of rehabilitation measures. Concurrently, participants articulated concerns regarding the sustainability of achieved improvements, citing the lack of appropriate follow-up options as well as personnel and structural resources in routine care.

The findings indicate that a mobile and outpatient rehabilitation approach for individuals with cognitive and/or multiple impairments is both feasible and capable of contributing to improved participation. Additionally, the findings highlight the necessity for individualized rehabilitation and subsequent follow-up care to ensure the stability of the achieved outcomes.