Implementation and evaluation of a tele-reha as well as a paper-based aftercare programme following inpatient rehabilitation: a three-armed, observerblinded, randomised controlled trial
Creators: name: Sperl, Lisa
name: Slama, Sonja
name: Ritschl, Valentin
name: Mosor, Erika
name: Felbermayer, Birgit
name: Klecandr, Eva
name: Klepatsch, Katrin
name: Kodyek, Marlies
name: Kohoutek, Lukas
name: Leskosek, Eva
name: Marchsteiner, Daniela
name: Paier, Ulrike
name: Pap, Veronika
name: Pöchacker, Claudia
name: Rauch-Shorny, Sigrid
name: Steffek, Ruth
name: Swoboda, Gottfried
name: Trasiewicz, Roland
name: Wagner, Christoph
name: Kranz, Gottfried
name: Stamm, Tanja
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2023

description: Following inpatient rehabilitation treatment, telerehabilitation can potentially ensure continuity of care at home, particularly for persons with chronic conditions, by supporting individuals to resume their life tasks following discharge (Laver et al., 2020). Telerehabilitation has been described as an alternative method to delivering traditional rehabilitation services, and interest in its use is growing as technologies become more widespread and advanced (Brochard et al., 2010; Galea, 2019). Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, telerehabilitation has significantly contributed to treatment accessibility (Prvu Bettger &amp; Resnik, 2020) and has become a valuable solution for patient care. However, despite the reported benefits of telerehabilitation (Stinear et al., 2020), implementation in clinical practice is slow (Standing et al., 2018) and has not yet reached standard care. To address this gap in continuing care after discharge from an inpatient facility<br> through telerehabilitation, our project has the following three specific aims: (i) to implement a telerehabilitation intervention in routine care after an inpatient rehabilitation stay for people insured with the Sozialversicherungsanstalt der Selbständigen (SVS), (ii) to evaluate the impact of telerehabilitation on the consolidation of goals achieved during the inpatient stay in everyday life, and (iii) to evaluate whether independence in everyday life can be increased by implementing telerehabilitation at home compared to standard care. A longitudinal, observer-blinded, randomised controlled trial with three arms will be conducted at the Neurological Rehabilitation Center Rosenhügel (NRZ), Vienna. All patients admitted to the NRZ receive a Baseline Assessment (T0). Rehabilitation aims are<br> defined based on symptoms, functional limitations and participation restrictions, and routine care is provided accordingly. At discharge, patients undergo another assessment to determine if the rehabilitation aims have been reached (Post-inpatient Evaluation [T1]). Between T0 and T1, patients participating in this study will be randomly assigned to either a tele-reha group (Intervention Group) or a control group (Control Group 1) stratified for the likelihood of a positive rehabilitation outcome (determined by the multidisciplinary team), as well as age, and sex. Participation in the tele-reha group and the control group 1 is restricted to patientswith SVS insurance. Additionally, a second control group (Control Group 2) will be recruited from patients without SVS insurance who only receive standard care. Control group 2 will be matched with the tele-reha group in terms of age group, sex and the likelihood of a positive rehabilitation outcome as estimated by the multidisciplinary team.The study concludes with a final assessment (Final Evaluation) after 36 days of therapy. SVS patients from control group 1 will be offered the opportunity to participate in an additional tele-care intervention after the study ends.