Project scope and background
Every year in Switzerland, 15,000 people suffer from a stroke, 5000 from a moderate to severe traumatic brain injury and 150 from a spinal cord injury. Often, the deficits have a significant detrimental effect on everyday function and life, and require intensive neurorehabilitation. Neurorehabilitation is provided by multidisciplinary teams of physical, occupational and speech therapists, as well as neuropsychologists, nurses and medical doctors, working together to rehabilitate locomotion, dexterity, language, memory, attention or behavioral control. Usually, patients receive a period of intense high-dose neurorehabilitation in a specialized clinic, and then return home. However, the dose and intensity of current outpatient and home neurorehabilitation are often insufficient and the care is predominantly disconnected from the in-patient programs, due to organizational and reimbursement issues. This contrasts with the scientific evidence and international guidelines underlining the fundamental value of intensity and frequency of tailored rehabilitation programs along the continuum of care for maximizing patients’ recovery.
To address this challenge, an unprecedented consortium within the neurorehabilitation landscape in Switzerland has been created, bringing together: four university hospitals (Bern, Geneva, Lausanne and Zurich), collaborating with key rehabilitation clinics (the SUVA Bellikon, the SUVA Clinic romande de réadapation Sion, Lavigny Hospital, Valens Clinics and RehaKlinik Zihlschlacht) and their association (Plateform-reha); outpatient clinical providers (Swiss Rehabilitation, Physio Clinics, and EMS Le Marronier); the two federal technical schools EPFL and ETHZ; the Universities of Lausanne, Geneva and Bern, the University of Applied Science of Western Switzerland (HES-SO) and the School of Engineering and Management of the Canton Vaud (HEIG-VD); leading companies in neurotechnology (Hocoma, Lambda, MyoSwiss, Onward) and digital therapies (MindMaze) for neurorehabilitation; industrial partners working on digital solutions for data management and protection (CARA and Pryv); educational providers for healthcare professionals (Espace Compétences) and patients (Medicol).
Initiated and coordinated by the CHUV in Lausanne, SwissNeuroRehab will develop and validate an effective and efficient model of neurorehabilitation along the continuum of care in Switzerland. A patient-centered model will specify the clinical, operational and economic needs to treat physical and cognitive deficits after stroke, traumatic brain injury and spinal cord injury. State-of-the-art, evidence-based therapeutic programs integrating digital therapeutics and neurotechnology will be validated and implemented into the clinical routine through interdisciplinary cooperation between researchers, clinicians and the industry. An inter-cantonal economic analysis will propose a reimbursement system for the new model of neurorehabilitation. Novel educational curricula will be created for healthcare professionals, decision makers, patients and caregivers. The model will offer a long-term solution for the Swiss society to address the challenges due to the increasing prevalence of neurological disorders in the ageing society.
