Stroke: Digitalization of rehabilitation with Rewellio

Mr. Teufl, how does rewellio want to change stroke rehabilitation?

Georg Teufl: Rewellio was developed out of a need. The need for better and more therapy time for stroke patients. Rewellio provides a stroke rehabilitation, which is easily accessible for patients and therapists. The app takes a holistic rehabilitation approach addressing various conditions often found in stroke patients including arm/hand disabilities as well as cognitive, vision and speech impairments. Using affordable and mobile consumer electronics such as tablets, virtual reality (VR) headsets and EMG-biofeedback armbands, rewellio builds on proven and new rehabilitation methods. Always with the aim of more and better therapy time, rewellio enables the patient to pursue a faster, motivational and self-empowered recovery process at home and at the clinic, hospital or rehabilitation center.

What kind of advantages does rewellio therapy have to offer?

Teufl: Stroke patients need more therapy time but many of them can’t afford or simply can’t access additional hours with a physiotherapist once they are released from intensive care. By building our software on top of consumer electronic devices, rewellio becomes very affordable and may not even require reimbursement by insurance. Chances are, patients already have an iPad at home and can get started without any hardware investment at all. But even if the patient would like to use rewellio’s virtual reality module, buying a VR headset for about Euro 450 (USD 400) is still a bargain when comparing it to other non-covered healthcare costs, especially in places like the United States for example. Almost all stroke patients do not get enough therapy time after they are released from intensive care. Rewellio enables patients to get more and better therapy, self-empowered, independent and at their own individual pace. And best of all, rewellio is extremely easy to use. If you know how to launch an app on your phone, you will have no trouble using rewellio.

Why is digitalization – like virtual reality solutions – a promising approach in stroke therapy?

Teufl: By using digital consumer electronics, we get access to the most powerful and advanced sensors, which are built into any iPad, smartphone and Virtual Reality headsets. This is something fairly new and clearly wasn’t possible only a few years ago. These sensors allow us to capture and enable the patient to monitor her or his progress. The mobility of these digital devices makes more and better therapy time possible, not only at the clinic but especially at home and anywhere else. Rewellio also has a digitally animated and speaking avatar that motivates the patient while "playing games" designed to improve the patient’s condition. Based on the progress made, the backbone of the system recommends new exercises adjusted to the personal abilities at any given time. Capturing the number of exercises completed, the highest game levels reached and time spent in total may also help therapists document the patient’s recovery journey.

What does inclusion mean to you?

Teufl: Inclusion is actually rewellio’s ultimate goal. To us, inclusion means being able to live an enjoyable and happy life and being fully integrated with social communities around you. Disabilities from stroke may impose some challenges on achieving this goal. Being a physical therapist for stroke patients for more than a decade now, it has always been my motivation to find and stimulate the potential in people to reduce these challenges that may hold them back from participating to the best of their ability in society. I think inclusion can be described as a human right and definitely as a human need. And with rewellio we are trying to play a part in achieving this for stroke patients around the world.