One finding from many systems: connected diagnostics in neurorehabilitation
In neurological rehabilitation, findings come from many sources at the same time – strength measurements, stance and gait analyses, perimetry, sleep diagnostics, robot-assisted therapy. Every system delivers valuable data, but all too often it remains isolated. The Neurological Rehabilitation Centre “Rosenhügel” (NRZ Rosenhügel) in Vienna takes a consistent approach here: together with Datico®, several diagnostic and therapy systems are linked via the Datico® Life Hub in such a way that their data produces a single, consolidated finding – which can be passed automatically to the hospital information system (HIS).
NRZ Rosenhügel at a glance
Founded in 2002, NRZ Rosenhügel has established itself as a centre of excellence for neurological and neuropsychological rehabilitation. Located on the outskirts of Vienna, it has 147 inpatient beds and 30 day-patient therapy places; around 220 staff support patients in restoring function and performance, mobility and independence. An interdisciplinary team works here at a high professional level – with a long-term goal: building a structured treatment database in order to document the care of neurological patients better and optimise it continuously.
The challenge
Modern neurorehabilitation works with a large number of specialised systems – each with its own software, its own data format and its own output route. In practice this leads to media breaks: findings are exported individually, filed as PDFs and passed on manually. What is missing is consolidation. Stance and gait analysis in particular does not rely on a single device but on several measurement systems – supplemented by numerous manual tests and therapists’ assessments. The central task was to unite these building blocks in a robust overall finding instead of merely collecting them side by side. And in the long term, every one of these measurements should not just be documented but become usable as the data basis for a growing treatment database.
The solution with Datico®
In the first project phase, the systems used for stance and gait analysis – from BERTEC and BTS Bioengineering – were connected directly to the Datico® Life Hub. Using Datico® Smart Forms, individual questionnaires and queries were created that therapists fill in directly during therapy. The next step is decisive: Datico® combines device data and manual input and uses them to generate a new, stand-alone finding for stance and gait analysis, which is passed automatically to the hospital information system (HIS). So it is not simply a matter of forwarding existing PDFs; a consolidated result is generated from several sources.
In a further phase, the isokinetic system from Biodex was connected. Patients’ force-time curves are transferred into the Datico® Life Hub, calibrated there using a zero measurement and then compared against a stored reference profile (target profile) using Datico® Target Profiles – turning a mere measurement into a contextualised, interpretable analysis.
Further systems were added step by step: perimetry from Oculus, treadmill-based gait analysis from Zebris integrated into an h/p/cosmos treadmill, and sleep analysis from SOMNOmedics. The robot-assisted Armeo system from Hocoma was also connected in a way that enabled data exchange with the HIS. In addition, the EMG system from Noraxon was connected – implemented via the software solution from Velamed (Cologne).
The project continues to grow: the integration of the tyromotion systems via a FHIR interface is currently under way – tyromotion is currently developing this interface and is carrying out the first installation at NRZ Rosenhügel as a pilot project.
Connect, Understand and Act – on the foundation of “Secure” – run through the entire project:
- Connect – BERTEC, BTS, Biodex, Oculus, Zebris/h/p/cosmos, SOMNOmedics, Hocoma and Noraxon (via Velamed) are brought together at one central data point; tyromotion will follow.
- Understand – Smart Forms, calibration by zero measurement and comparison with the target profile turn raw data into contextualised, clinically usable findings.
- Act – a consolidated finding is generated and passed automatically to the HIS via the Datico® HIS Connector.
- Secure – the data remains under the hospital’s control and forms the basis of the planned treatment database.
Results and benefits
NRZ Rosenhügel now has a continuous path from individual measurement to integrated finding. Instead of isolated exports from many systems, a consolidated result is produced – especially for the demanding stance and gait analysis, in which device data and therapeutic assessments come together in a structured way in one document for the first time. Automatic transfer to the HIS reduces manual steps and media breaks. Above all, however, the project lays the foundation for the overarching goal: a growing treatment database in which every measurement is documented and can be analysed for the continuous optimisation of neurological treatment.
In the customer’s words
“With the Datico® Life Hub, we can now combine the data from our diagnostic systems and the assessments of our therapists in a single finding – instead of exporting them one by one from many systems. For stance and gait analysis this is real progress, and at the same time it lays the foundation for our treatment database.”
— Mag. Stefan Kotzian, Head of Medical Movement Analysis and Training Therapy, NRZ Rosenhügel
Conclusion
NRZ Rosenhügel shows how a heterogeneous device landscape becomes a continuous clinical data flow – from stance and gait analysis through isokinetics to sleep diagnostics. Datico® provides the technical foundation for this: connect, put into context, generate a robust finding and pass it securely to the HIS. In this way, many individual measurements become a consolidated basis for decisions – and, step by step, a treatment database for neurorehabilitation.
