Open AccessA technical report on a novel robotic lower limb rehabilitation device - Is ROBERT® a cost-effective solution for rehabilitation in Hong Kong?
Author(s) -
Alan K. L. Chan
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
hong kong physiotherapy journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.343
H-Index - 15
eISSN - 1876-441X
pISSN - 1013-7025
DOI - 10.1142/s1013702522710019
Subject(s) - rehabilitation , medicine , economic shortage , robot , danish , physical medicine and rehabilitation , healthcare system , service (business) , operations management , health care , physical therapy , artificial intelligence , computer science , engineering , business , marketing , linguistics , philosophy , government (linguistics) , economic growth , economics
A shortage of physiotherapist (PT) manpower is a barrier for providing better rehabilitation service in Hong Kong. Quality training can benefit patients with better recovery, on the contrary, insufficient training may cause a longer length of stay, readmission, and thus the burden of healthcare system. The estimated cost for PT services in Hospital Authority was HK$7.0 Billion in 2020. A novel Danish robot with a 7-joint robotic arm became popular in Denmark and Germany in the last two years. The robot is designed for lower limb patient rehabilitation. It can enhance the mobility of patients. Based on the experience of a university hospital in Denmark, this robotic rehabilitation was well accepted by both patients and PTs. Function-wise, the robot provides many clinical benefits to patients, especially stroke ones. A physiotherapist's time can be saved when the robot is being used. The cost-effectiveness of ROBERT®is better than PT performing repetitive exercises for lower limbs. The robot potentially provides a cost-effective solution to the Hong Kong healthcare system.