Recap: REHA2030 Future Talk

Author: Lukas Wohofsky

reha2030 service model. A main aspect of the REHA2030 project is the development of a need-oriented service model to enable rehabilitation for stroke patients by means of teletherapy. This service model is supported by a technological platform (tablet, web interface and therapy robot), which is also developed within the project. The service model was designed in the context of the rehabilitation landscapes of the participating countries in the project – Austria and Slovenia. An interdisciplinary workshop, the Future Talk, was planned and conducted with participants from the rehabilitation field in order to validate the service model from an Austrian perspective on the one hand and to generate ideas for singe steps of the service model, such as financing or service provider issues and other framework conditions for successful telerehabilitation, on the other hand.

: Fig. 1: Service Model Blueprint

future talk workshop. The Future Talk workshop, held on January 14th 2021 in the scope of the REHA2030 project, came up with a heterogeneous group of participants from different areas related to (tele)-rehabilitation – therapy, medicine, clinics, business and technology, insurance – which was the optimal mix for comprehensive perspectives and discussions. 15 experts actively shared their expertise and ideas and were supplemented by an eight-person team from the Carinthia University of Applied Sciences, who supported the workshop in the roles of moderation, documentation and, of course, by joining the discussion.

: Fig. 2: Participants of the Workshop (Screenshot)

results. In terms of the service blueprint, the workshop showed that the developed service model already contains the vast majority of the relevant steps, from the application for (tele)-rehabilitation and inpatient rehabilitation to the procurement of the technical components and the actual conduction of teletherapy.

Individual aspects of the service model were discussed intensively, such as the opportunities that exist with inter-organizational solution such as REHA2030. With the REHA2030 system, the transition between rehab clinics, freelance therapists and general practitioners could be bridged, demands and availabilities could be mapped, and joint work with the aim of providing the best possible care for patients could be strengthened by fostering communication.

The greatest challenge in the REHA2030 service model is the financing. The Future Talk workshop came up with possible ways, which financing models are conceivable but also what needs to be considered with regard to accessibility to the services (social gap). In response to the questions about the service provider – who will take over the provision, delivery, support, etc. – possible solutions were shown how these open issues can be dealt with in the future. This showed how diverse the options are: from insurance companies as umbrella companies with subcontractors and service contracts with orthopedic technology companies to the integration of individual services in the range of services offered by rehab clinics to the implementation of single activities by therapists – approaches that will be followed up on.

These results are extracts from a large amount of information collected in the workshop.

: Fig. 3: Notes and Questions of one Workshop Group (German)

outlook. The discussions that were led showed on the one hand the great value and potential of the REHA2030 telerehabilitation solution and the associated service model presented and on the other hand the many unresolved steps until the system can be established in the rehabilitation path. We will build on the results of the Future Talk workshop and develop specific solutions in follow-up discussions. Since the REHA2030 project is a cooperation project among Austria and Slovenia, the service model will also be validated in the context of the Slovenian health system and evaluated in a separate workshop.