Reimagining rehabilitation in the East Midlands through digital innovation

Rehabilitation could benefit as many as one in three people affected by a health condition, with the need increasing with age.

An ageing world population, paired with increasing numbers of long-term health conditions, has increased the demand for rehabilitation services.

As such, digital technology presents an opportunity to relieve pressures on these services, by speeding up recovery times in acute settings, as well as helping more patients transition to care at home.

Exploring our smart rehabilitation service use case:

Indoor wayfinding: to help patients with cognitive impairment find their way around a facility. 

Smart lighting and environmental controls: to promote recovery and enhance the patient experience by aligning to the body’s circadian rhythms.

Wearables: continually monitor patients in a recovery centre or at home to ensure rehabilitation is progressing. Wearables can also monitor sleep patterns and detect patient falls.  

Gamification of recovery: patients can be prompted to refer to their medication schedules or encouraged to do (and enjoy) their rehabilitation exercises. Gamification (including VR) presents opportunities to improve patient engagement with their recovery.

Robotics: potentially delivering treatments or acting as a companion for patients. Outside of acute clinical settings, robotics could support discharged patients helping them to live independently and maintain autonomy. For example, robots can monitor patients, assist with daily activities and automatically alert health services if there is a problem.

Voice control and automation: exploring how patients with limited capabilities or specific needs can control their environments through voice activation and automation.

The Lister Alliance works with NHS Trusts, practitioners, industry and academia to reshape the future of healthcare technology, creating better outcomes for our patients.

Check back soon for updates on our work in the East Midlands