ARTEDIA

Ensuring continuity of care within the rehabilitation process has always been a key element, which has assumed even greater importance in light of recent global events. The emergent situation linked to the spread of SARS-CoV-2 has seen the interruption or limitation of many clinical services that are not essential for managing the health emergency, including the rehabilitation of patients in all age groups. This calls for investments in new methods for supporting chronic patients, i.e., people who require continuity of care not to face a further decline of their cognitive and/or motor skills and to avoid the onset of secondary pathologies.

In this context, ARTEDIA aims to create and validate a telerehabilitation system usable at home and dedicated to both chronic patients and (former) COVID-19 patients.

The project foresees the implementation of a telerehabilitation platform (based on a commercially available solution, Khymeia) that integrates exercises aimed at training the cognitive skills and motor functions of the upper and lower limbs. The latter goal will be achieved by integrating virtual reality-based training with a cycle-ergometer into the existing platform. Indeed, the ergometer allows the patients to train their lower limbs in a safe and controlled way. Specific sensors will also be integrated with the aim of monitoring user performance, both for evaluation purposes and to ensure safety.

Such a platform will be validated by enrolling different types of patients, including adults and adolescents with neuromotor pathologies and patients with respiratory problems. Each clinic taking part in ARTEDIA will enroll 6 patients per month for a 4-month study. The validation of the system will take place through the evaluation of the user experience and some clinical outcomes.