"Innovation in rehabilitation in Israel will determine the future of the wounded of the war"

The newly opened rehabilitation department at the Beilinson Hospital uses advanced technology such as virtual reality and image capture to provide better care to wounded soldiers and patients, according to the director of the department, Dr. Michael Bahar, who participated in a panel at Calcalist and Bank Leumi’s Mind the Tech conference in New York, on the topic of innovation in the field of rehabilitation medicine. The other panel participants were, Prof. Leor Perl, Head of Innovation at Beilinson Hospital and Dr. Joel Stein from the Department of Rehabilitation and Regenerative Medicine at Columbia University.

"The war caught the Israeli rehabilitation wards with a shortage of about 500 beds," said Bahar. "The high number of wounded put pressure and caused great difficulty on the rehabilitation experts in Israel. As of today, there are 13,000 wounded civilians and soldiers, many of whom will need rehabilitation." Bahar explained that one of the responses to the situation was the opening of new rehabilitation departments. The department he directs at Beilinson Hospital was opened on November 7, a month after the outbreak of the war. However, he emphasized that the crisis requires additional actions other than just adding beds. "It's not just about beds but also about manpower, and that's what we have to focus on," he said. According to him, technology can help in this case. "In my vision, the physiotherapist works in a world of virtual reality. One physiotherapist can treat several patients during a virtual therapy session where the patients are everywhere - in other departments or at home. This way we can treat more patients with the same personnel."

The importance of using technology in rehabilitation medicine is also reflected in the words of Dr. Stein from Columbia University. "One of the biggest challenges in the field is the lack of manpower. We don't have enough people to provide the rehabilitation we would like. The technology helps us provide more treatments without needing more people." He noted that in virtual reality there is good progress in that direction, while in robotics "we are not quite there yet because we need devices that are easier to use and simpler, but there is a potential for saving manpower." Stein explained that virtual reality can help make rehabilitation more interesting for patients and thus make them cooperate. "Making the exercises more similar to a computer game helps people become more involved and complete them," he said. "This is one of the great advantages of virtual reality technologies."

Bahar also referred to the use of artificial intelligence in the field of rehabilitation. "We have already started using AI in the treatment of wounded soldiers, and this is to monitor the possibility of developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)." According to him, several technology companies have developed AI models that can predict the likelihood of developing PTSD from a chat with the wounded soldier. "We have a lot of wounded soldiers and injured people and a relatively small team to treat them. The fact that we can use, for example, an AI model to focus our treatment capabilities on those who really need it, is a huge advantage," he said.

Similarly, Prof. Perl explained that the technology also helps with rehabilitation after heart attacks, and allows patients to return home faster and continue their daily routine while monitoring their condition. “A recent McKinsey report found that healthcare costs are expected to climb to more than $250 billion by 2025. The transition from the medical facilities to care at home allows us to provide the same quality of care and the same safety to patients at home without the additional burden and risk of going to a hospital and all that involves," he said. "This is a particularly interesting field to follow in the coming years."

Despite the great pressure exerted on the rehabilitation departments since the war and the lack of workers and beds, Stein claimed that in the U.S. there is widespread recognition that Israel is a center for innovation. "There are many start-ups at various stages, and there is an interest in the U.S. to develop these relationships and conduct clinical trials based on Israeli technology."

Watch the full panel in the video above.