Health enabling technologies and intelligent environments in rehabilitation

Background: The increasing digitalization of society is having an impact on medicine. People increasingly use digital devices and services for various purposes (e.g., sports, security, convenience). Ubiquity, a strong degree of connectivity and high context sensitivity are creating intelligent environments that generate data about individuals. Suitable evaluation algorithms can extract information about the personal health status that can be used for diagnostics and treatment. Gamification methods allow patients to be more actively involved in their recovery, which can have a positive effect on adherence. Particularly in the field of rehabilitation medicine, which often affects and interacts with the personal living environment, the use of this information can make a difference. Objective: Using specific examples of the application of assistive health technologies and intelligent environments in rehabilitation medicine, the current state of development is presented and the possible future research directions and needs for action in this field are presented in a practical way. Material and methods: Three exemplary research projects introduce the topic, are embedded in the current state of research and allow a projection into the future against the background of many years of experience. Results: The reported projects show not only the technical feasibility but also individually the medical effectiveness of interventions. Conclusion: Finally, an analysis of the barriers that have so far prevented a more intensive use of the technologies and how these might be countered is carried out.