One of the things that makes MossRehab unique is its consistent deployment of high-quality rehabilitation technology in the clinical environment.
“Other places have some of this technology, but they use it in research areas,” explains Alberto Esquenazi, MD, chief medical o cer at MossRehab. “We put our robotics into the clinic so therapists are exposed to them and are involved in their application. We are able to show that these technologies can essentially address the needs of all patients. Each day, we learn what works best for each individual patient.”
MossRehab recently welcomed the opportunity to host a large group of national and international scientists, clinicians and physicians from Great Britain, Austria, Denmark, Poland, China, Switzerland and Chile. During this visit, the clinical staff demonstrated MossRehab’s unique and varied robotic technologies and capabilities and answered questions from visitors.
These therapeutic innovations include:
“Feedback from our more than 70 visitors seemed to be that MossRehab is a forward-looking place and that we’re doing a lot of compelling work,” says Dr. Esquenazi. “Hosting visitors contributes to our mission to improving rehabilitation across the spectrum. Through these experiences, visiting scientists learn what we’re doing, and we benefit from their experience to ensure we are all doing the best for our patients.”
Integrating International Perspectives
Some of the international visitors asked how soon patients are admitted for rehabilitation after a neurological event.
“One of the visiting clinicians said that, in many countries, they wait 30 days to begin rehabilitation,” says Dr. Esquenazi. “We don’t have the luxury of keeping patients in acute care that long, but in Europe, they do. He also said they see peak effects of therapy between days 60 and 90. Our patients are already home at that point and participating in outpatient therapy.”
These differences open the door for collaborative research comparing patient outcomes on these two distinct timelines.
“Are patients faring differently? Is recovery the same? Are there cost differences? This is just one example of the issues we couldn’t explore without international collaboration,” explains Dr. Esquenazi. “Learning from others and sharing our findings gets us closer to our ultimate goal of making patient care better all over the world. Socializing and getting to know colleagues abroad opens the door for collaboration,” he says. “We have many common objectives, and being able to define them outside of the scientific setting really helps. No matter where we are, we’re all trying to use our resources in the most appropriate manner to help patients recover and re-establish their lives."