The Bern Rehab Registry

This study examines the health outcomes of patients with long-term illnesses such as cancer, heart, lung, or musculoskeletal diseases who participate in a rehabilitation programme. The programme may involve staying in a facility (inpatient), visiting a facility (outpatient), home-based care supported by digital health tools (telerehabilitation), or a combination of facility- and home-based options.

The key health outcomes being measured include physical fitness and strength, body composition (like body fat and muscle mass), specific risk factors related to the diseases, and patients' self-reported health and experience outcomes, such as feelings of anxiety, depression, fatigue, overall quality of life, and satisfaction with the rehabilitation programme.

These measurements provide important information about the patients' lung, heart, and muscle health, as well as their mental well-being. They also help to predict the likelihood of further health complications, the chance of needing to be hospitalized again, and overall quality of life. This information is useful for improving the quality of care, tailoring future provision of rehabilitation services and long-term care for patients with chronic conditions.

Additionally, the study will provide insights into how new technologies like telerehabilitation are implemented, including how well they are adopted, followed, and accepted by patients.

Background:

The global demographic landscape is shifting towards an aging population, coupled with a rise in chronic, non-communicable diseases that contribute to disability and escalating healthcare costs. Recognizing this, the World Health Organization (WHO) has identified rehabilitation as a key strategy for health in the 21st century.

Aim:

The aim of this prospective cohort study is to assess the outcomes of disease-specific comprehensive rehabilitation programmes at a tertiary referral center to improve the quality of care and formulate novel research questions.

Methods:

Consecutive patients with cancer, cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, or pulmonary diseases, referred for comprehensive rehabilitation to the Centre for Rehabilitation \& Sports Medicine (two locations - Berner Reha Centre and Inselspital) of the Insel Group, Bern, Switzerland, will be included. Patients will be counselled by trained advanced practice nurses, and type of delivery of the rehabilitation programme will be based on medical needs and patient preferences. Three-week inpatient programmes are performed at the Berner Reha Centre and Inselspital. Twelve-week outpatient programmes are performed at the Inselspital and delivered as centre-based, digitally-enhanced centre- and home-based, or home-based digital/tele rehabilitation.

Outcome assessments will be based on the framework of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) of the World Health Organisation.

Eligibility Criteria:
Inclusion Criteria:

* Patients aged 18 years and older with a chronic non-communicable disease
* Signed general informed consent
* Referral to a comprehensive disease-specific rehabilitation program

Exclusion Criteria:

* Refuted or missing general informed consent for further use of health-related data and samples.