Curative and rehabilitative care have become a real challenge for developed countries, as they already account for more than 50% of the total healthcare expenditure. Acquired Brain Injury (ABI), the leading cause of death and permanent disability worldwide, represent the main component of these costs, and their prevalence is also growing at great rates. Due to the ABI´s patient chronic condition, the only way to lessening effects or slowing down their disorder is following strict rehabilitation therapies. However, the current rehabilitation model presents a major shortcoming: Lack of impact on patient’s wellbeing at great healthcare cost. In addition, the potential of using telemedicine as an alternative is being hindered by the reduced participation of the clinical community, which turns into solutions that do not address the real ABI patient needs for a successful treatment, such as therapies that, on one hand, combine motor ability, cognition and sensory capacity and, in the other hand, are perceived by the patient to have a real positive impact in the quality of their lives, for which rehabilitation needs to be very intensive and, ideally, have the possibility to use it in real time and environments.
After 6 years of research at The Institute of Functional Rehabilitation (IRF) of La Salle University, we have developed integral exercises for the telerehabilitation of ABI, mainly focused in “medium-level” injured to train Activities at Work. We have compiled into a modular platform called MTT. It covers the need for a high performance ABI telerehabilitation Platform which can transfer therapy to work and train all related core functions (motor, cognitive and sensory) simultaneously.
MTT operates within the market of Virtual Reality and Telerehabilitation technologies that are experiencing a stunning high growth: CAGR of 19% and 76%, respectively. During the SME-Phase 1, we have elaborated a detailed Business Innovation Plan to make us ready for Phase 2 and market uptake following these main objectives: Market study and Validation activities, New Product Development, deeply studying relevant regulation, monitoring a very dynamic market and IPR integral strategy.
