A Cost-effective Analysis of Telerehabilitation in Patients With Severe Acquired Brain Injury

We will investigate the use of TR, based on advanced Information and Communication Technology (ICT) solutions, taking into account that the supervision of rehabilitation at home will be enriched with the counselling and vital parameters monitoring. The aim of the study is to evaluate that TR is at least non-inferior in comparison with the same amount of usual territorial rehabilitative physical treatments (UTRT), taking into account patients' functional recovery, psychological well-being, caregiver burden, and healthcare costs. The enrolled patients will be balanced for pathology and randomized in two groups, performing TR (G1) or standard rehabilitation training (G2), respectively, according to a pc-generated random assignment.TR will be delivered by means of an advanced video-conferencing system, whereas the patient will be provided with low-cost monitoring devices, able to collect data about his/her health status and QoL. In both the groups each treatment (either cognitive or motor, or both as per patient functional status) will last about one hour a day, five days/week, for 12 weeks. Two structured telephone interviews will be administered to the patients (when possible) and/or their caregivers, and to all the healthcare professionals involved in the patient management, one week after the beginning and at the end of the TR.