Competencies by Health technology Education in Prevention & Rehabilitation Intertwined

The use of technology in medical sectors has steadily increased over the last years. Especially secondary and tertiary care have been heavily influenced by the emergence of new medical technologies in the form of high tech care and advanced diagnostics. Nevertheless, the domains of prevention and rehabilitation in the primary care setting have not seen the same development when it comes to the use of technology. This is the result of a gap in communication between engineers and physiotherapists. They do not understand each other, due to lack of relevant education that combines the knowledge and use of health technology (medical engineering) with clinical reasoning regarding prevention, vitality and rehabilitation. By creating an educational programme that combines competencies in both physiotherapy as well as medical engineering, future physiotherapists get familiar with the incorporation of technologies in prevention and rehabilitation. In turn, this leads to the increased use of technology in prevention and rehabilitation. The only existing educational program combining medical engineering and physiotherapy, in the USA, demonstrates a wonderful spin-off. Such a program is lacking in Europe.

The main objective of this project was to educate a new type of physiotherapists that become competent in both clinical reasoning in prevention, vitality and rehabilitation in primary care and competencies in medical engineering, ICT and technology. Secondary objective was to enhance knowledge and expertise in these new type of physiotherapists on Entrepeneurship taking demands of customers, health technology companies as well as the market into account. Third objective was to bring health technology and physiotherapists together and create an international platform where health technology companies and physiotherapists can meet and join forces to identify need and create new health technology solutions

The following concrete outputs have been reached: Output 1: 1. Two modules on ‘Musculoskeletal imaging, analysis and model building in clinical reasoning’ were developed, piloted and evaluated. Adaptations to the module are made. The modules book is open access online Output 2: 2. Two modules on 'Analytics of Information and Human Technology Interaction' were developed, piloted and evaluated. Adaptations to the module are made. The module book is open access online Output 3: 3. The Dragons' Den module has been developed, piloted and evaluated. Students followed an apprenticeship and presented their health technology solution to a Dragons’ Den at the final multiplier event. The module book is open acces online 4. A start has been made to set-up a European network of companies and clinicians on prevention, vitality and rehabilitation where clients/ patients and clinicians meet technical companies for solutions (First via the website, a community-app is in its initial phase). Overall: 5. Dissemination of knowledge has been taken place via posters and presentation on the European Congres of Physiotherapy Education and will be spread on the World Congress on Physiotherapy 6. The developed modules together form the e-learning program Rehabilitation Human Sustainable Technology: https://www.vub.be/en/studying-vub/all-study-programmes-vub/bachelors-and-masters-programmes-vub/rehabilitation-human-sustainable-technology