XRehab

The healthcare system in Belgium has been facing several challenges in recent years, including the cost of quality healthcare, changes in the demographic population, exponential growth in technological applications, and a growing number of people with multiple chronic conditions. To address these challenges, efforts are being made to minimize hospital admissions and facilitate a quicker transition to familiar environments such as schools, workplaces, and homes. Bridging the gap between the hospital and these familiar settings involves various rehabilitation disciplines within the hospital. These disciplines are involved from the acute phase and must enable patients to transition quickly to the subacute and possibly chronic phase in the patient's familiar environment.

The use of technology can make a significant difference. Particularly, the use of mobile applications and technologies such as virtual/augmented reality (VR/XR), collectively known as extended reality (XR), is evolving rapidly and has become accessible within the context of rehabilitation due to the significantly declining costs of hardware and software. These XR interfaces offer several advantages over current treatment methods. Firstly, they allow individuals to practice tasks that may pose risks in their daily lives in a safe yet realistic manner. Secondly, XR applications can measure various behavioral parameters of the patient (movements, eye movements, stress, etc.), enabling the customization of these applications. The ability for individuals to continue practicing in a controlled manner in their home environment after discharge from the rehabilitation center is a third significant advantage.