Adaptive rehabilitation system for physical exercise assisted by remote monitoring

• Grant number: 20/13896-6
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Innovative Research in Small Business - PIPE
• Duration: July 01, 2021 - March 31, 2022
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Biomedical Engineering
• Principal Investigator: Fabio Pomes Salles da Silva
• Grantee: Fabio Pomes Salles da Silva
• Host Company: Cyberphysics Company Tecnologia em Atividade Física Ltda. - Me
• CNAE: Atividades de serviços de complementação diagnóstica e terapêutica ; Atividades de apoio à gestão de saúde ; Atividades de assistência a idosos, deficientes físicos, imunodeprimidos e convalescentes prestadas em residências coletivas e particulares
• City: São Paulo
• Pesquisadores principais: Andre Sernaglia Cerdeira ; Antonio Carlos Dantas Cabral ; Ari Nelson Rodrigues Costa
• Associated grant(s): 22/12378-7 - Adaptive physical exercise rehabilitation system with data collection and real-time remote monitoring, AP.PIPE
• Associated scholarship(s): 21/10929-3 - Adaptive rehabilitation system for physical exercises assistant by remote monitoring, BP.TT; 21/10930-1 - Adaptive rehabilitation system for physical exercises assistant by remote monitoring, BP.TT; 21/09570-0 - Adaptive rehabilitation system for physical exercises assistant by remote monitoring, BP.TT; 21/09108-5 - Adaptive rehabilitation system for physical exercise assisted by remote monitoring, BP.PIPE

Abstract

There are more than 32,000 people on the waiting list for physiotherapy treatments at SUS in the Capital of São Paulo (SMS, 2020). The service time reaches up to 1 year due to the limited availability of adequate resources. In addition, about 75% of the Brazilian population does not have a private health insurance or medical plan (ANS, 2020), a fact that contributes to the increase in people who resort to SUS. It is the duty of the State to provide a free, quality and accessible public health system for all Brazilians (BRASIL, 1988). However, it is observed that access - availability and free of charge - does not always happen, a fact that hinders or even prevents the performance of recommended treatments. Roberto Schahin, director of BRSurgery, Specialty Surgical Hospital in an interview granted in 2019, said that about 70% of cases are referred to a hospital, compared with about 40% in the U.S. "This is because in the USA there is a range of services that relieve hospitals," he adds. This fringe to which he refers includes clinics, outpatient clinics and telemedicine itself, which, with the Covid-19 pandemic, was finally recognized and regulated in Brazil. Without this range of non-hospital health services available to the population, there was a 465% increase in the consumption of opiates, or medications to mitigate pain, between 2009 and 2015 (FIOCRUZ, 2020).Interviews conducted in 2020 with Profa. Dr. Clarice Tanaka, Full Professor and Director of the Physiotherapy Division at ICHC and with Profa. Dr. Linamara Battistella, Full Professor of Physiatry at FMUSP, showed that one of the major issues in maintaining exercise is the difficulty of patient engagement in treatment and, therefore, its continuity at home (CLARICE TANAKA, 2020). There are, therefore, three major challenges: a) the patient's family members have to engage in the most complex rehabilitation treatments in their exercise routine; b) the patient himself feels embarrassed to be cared for by family members; and c) the challenge of overcoming the difficulties of remote monitoring (LINAMARA BATTISTELLA, 2020). One of the great demands of the physiotherapy sector is for a "portable, robust, low-cost device that requires low digital literacy" or that is as simple to operate as opening a bottle of medicine or pressing a button (CLARICE TANAKA, 2020), and that offers remote monitoring with security in data sharing (LINAMARA BATTISTELLA, 2020). A device with these characteristics would be in line with the legalization of telemedicine and would open a new work front for physiotherapists and health professionals. Additionally, it would offer access to physical exercises to prevent and treat more complex symptoms in rehabilitation, a fact that would relieve public health centers. The objective of this research is, therefore, to analyze the technical feasibility (proof of concept) of building a portable, robust, easy to operate device that allows real-time and remote monitoring of patients by rehabilitation centers and health professionals. Cheers. The equipment can be used at home by the patient, improving access to the recommended treatment, avoiding unnecessary travel and thus reducing the waiting list. (AU)