JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

While the clinical efficacy of robotic rehabilitation is well-documented, its widespread adoption is often hindered by uncertainty regarding its organizational and systemic impact. A comprehensive evaluation that integrates economic sustainability with research and innovation potential is currently lacking.

Objective:

This study evaluates the economic, organizational, and scientific impact of introducing a robotic rehabilitation unit in a medium-sized hospital, comparing it with standard care through an HTA-based simulation model.

Methods:

A comparative scenario-based model was developed to simulate two equivalent facilities over a five-year horizon: a "hybrid" clinic (robotics + conventional therapy) and a standard care clinic. The model employs a "Workforce Multiplier" framework and evaluates efficiency through the cost-per-point of clinical outcome (Fugl-Meyer Assessment).

Results:

The simulation indicates that robotic integration allows for a 16.1% reduction in cost per patient and a significant increase in workforce efficiency (1:2 supervision ratio). Beyond economic savings, the robotic unit transforms clinical practice into an "innovation hub," generating continuous kinematic datasets and substantially enhancing the facility’s research output and potential for scientific collaboration.

Conclusions:

Robotic rehabilitation should be appraised not merely as a technological cost, but as a multiplier of organizational capacity and a driver of digital innovation. The proposed framework provides decision-makers with a robust tool to ensure that hospital modernization is both sustainable and research-oriented.