Our goal

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Clinical skills are increasing their need for technology-related knowledge, and the world of medicine is characterized by a great technological challenge. The association of technological and medical skills represents an important frontier of higher education.

The goal of this Master is to create a school able to provide transdisciplinary skills to the most relevant players in the field of technologies for rehabilitation, home care, and empowerment of disabled and fragile people. Technologies must become a multiplier and extension of human resources, of the ability to organize and deliver a service, a resource to improve the care interaction, to relieve or limit the psychophysical overload in the activities of care and rehabilitation assistance by formal and informal caregivers, having the patient and his/her needs at the center of the whole process.

This topic requires a strong interaction – a cultural dialogue of professional figures with different backgrounds that need to work together, among which we identify (in a non-exclusive way):

  • physicians (specializing and specialized in physiatry, neurology, geriatrics, etc.);
  • psychologists and neuropsychologists;
  • rehabilitation health professionals (physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, nurses, etc.);
  • engineers;
  • health and industrial managers.

Program structureDidactic contents
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PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

Currently, the training of professional figures who work in the global field of rehabilitation medicine and assistance occurs independently, and the interaction arises only in the field.

Consequently, it is characterized by evident gaps:

  1. distance between the actual needs of the clinic and the design of new devices;
  2. difficulty of research laboratories to transfer their prototypes to the market;
  3. difficulties for investors to guide and support the innovation process and the healthcare management to lead changes related to the introduction of technologies.

The proposal of this Master is to integrate a group of professional figures with different backgrounds into a classroom and to build common knowledge and a comprehensive full-fledged understanding of the problems and challenges related to the real integration of technologies in the rehabilitation clinic and in the management of the continuity of care and social inclusion. In this way, we can speed up the real impact of these technologies in the lives of patients, their families, and clinical professionals.

The teaching will deal with the understanding of the medical bases of the neurorehabilitation path, the design of the requirements, and technical specifications of technologies and robotics in rehabilitation (including robotics, artificial intelligence, neurostimulation, neuroplasticity, and virtual reality). The program will then address the study of industrial transfer processes, technological evaluation, and innovation. Translational research methodologiesand evidence-based medicine will be addressed. The patient will be at the center of the teaching through appropriate ethical and engagement considerations. The path will conclude with the study of organizational models of some European countries with the purpose of delivering innovative services.

Professional opportunities

PROGRAM STRUCTURE

The Master is organized in a blended form. It consists of 12 modules, 8 online and 4 on-site (i.e., frontal lessons). The on-site modules correspond to 4 long weekends (Thursday-Saturday).
The Master consists of 60 ECTS.

 

In particular, the online modules consist of:

  • one day in a virtual classroom, which includes lectures, case discussions, and group work;
  • 9 short pre-recorded video lessons focused on a very specific topic accompanied by teaching materials, which guide the student’s autonomous study;
  • assignment on the contents of the module to be done in a group.

 

The on-site modules, instead, consist of 3 full days of lectures, round tables, laboratory activities, visits to laboratories, rehabilitation centers, or companies.

 

The Master is completed with a final project work, done in small groups, associated with a clinical reality and followed by a tutor. It will involve the use of new technologies in rehabilitation, and the definition of translational research protocols for the institution visited (selected by the student from a clinical center, start-up, investment fund, or research laboratory).

Minimum attendance percentage: minimum percentage of attendance to the course of 70% is foreseen
Content/modality of eventual final exam: Project work with a final discussion

60

ECTS CREDITS

50

MAXIMUM NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS

Program Contents

Teaching unit 1) From basic neuroscience to rehabilitation clinic (1.5 ECTS)

The biological bases of function recovery will be introduced with a focus on the musculoskeletal system, the central nervous system, and the upper cortical functions. The activity will include the presentation of the scientific rationale of rehabilitation, translated into the application logic, and field activities. The module offers the common starting point, while the development of clinical principles will then be deepened in all subsequent modules.

Teaching unit 2) From the experiential evaluation of the clinician to scientific evidence (7 ECTS)

Technologies for diagnostics and rehabilitation will be presented and discussed. The unit will include examples of technologies supporting the rehabilitation treatments, with a focus on functional assessment (kinematics and electromyography) in laboratory and through wearable sensorsand the use of neuroimaging in diagnostics and in the study of neural correlates of motor recovery. Data analysis methodologies for the personalization of rehabilitation therapy will also be illustrated, including Machine Learning techniques and Artificial Intelligence for the comparative analysis of multimodal data.

Teaching unit 3) From clinical practice to the design of new technologies (10 ECTS)

This unit aims to provide methods and case studies for the definition of technical specifications for the design and implementation of technologies for rehab. Rehabilitation and robotic technologies for the upper limb, lower limbs, and cognitive rehabilitation will be presented and discussed. This unit includes mutiple modules, on Robotics, Neuroprostheses, Technologies for patients with neuromuscular diseases with severe disabilities, Telerehabilitation and digital technologies for home and school care, Virtual and extended reality, and Instruments for perception and proprioceptive training. All the technologies will be presented starting from the clinical principles, to the definition of the technical specifications up to the reasoned discussion of the devices available on the market, the most relevant research activities, and the most promising directions.

Teaching unit 4) From technology to patient and caregiver engagement (4.5 ECTS)

In this unit, human factors and health technologies in the life cycle will be presented. Principles of health psychology are introduced and the psychological implications of taking care of others and ourselves will be discussed. The unit will also address clinician – patient communication, ethics in rehabilitation, and the role of the ethical committee and technology in promoting research and guaranteeing people. The importance of the human sciences in clinical practice will be remarked.

Teaching unit 5) From the research prototype to clinical translation and industrial success (9 ECTS)

The essential elements for technology transfer and intellectual property protection will be presented. The unit aims to provide methodologies for the design of clinical trials and systematic reviews, and basics of Health Technology Assessment.

Teaching unit 6) From new technologies to clinical service (2 ECTS)

The managerial organization for the introduction of new high-tech services and industrial experiences for effective clinical uptake will be discussed.

Teaching unit 7) Elective modules (2 ECTS)

Focus on the Italian, Swiss, or Spanish healthcare system (eligible).

Soft skills (3 ECTS)

The Master also includes 2 online modules MOOCs (Massive Online Open Course), which focus on soft skills (communication, interdisciplinary team management, conflict management), created by METID PoliMI (Methods and Innovative Technologies for Didactics).

An extra opportunity for a selection of best students (to be confirmed, according to collected sponsors)

This edition will include one-week Internship at partner institutions available for the best students, to have a personalized hands-on experience.

This extra experience is not mandatory to get the title.

Career opportunities

High profile roles in rehabilitation clinics

High profile roles in rehabilitation services

High profile roles in MedTech industries

Investors in MedTech

Researchers and innovation managers

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