Department of Management, Economics and Industrial Engineering, Politecnico di Milano, Via Lambruschini 4/B, 20156 Milan, Italy.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023 Mar 22;20(6):5224. doi: 10.3390/ijerph20065224.
Stroke is the third leading cause of death and disability overall worldwide. Upper limb impairment is a common consequence for stroke survivors, having negative impact on their quality of life. Robotic rehabilitation, through repetitive and monitored movements, can improve their status. Developed by a team of researchers at Politecnico di Milano, AGREE is an exoskeleton for upper limb rehabilitation at the stage gate between translational research and clinical validation. Since the cost of this device is particularly high, the present study aimed to provide a framework for assessing its value. The Social Return on Investment (SROI) method, able to grasp the economic, social and environmental impact of an activity, was applied, using expert opinions of a pool of clinical engineers and healthcare professionals from different Italian hospitals to obtain information. Environmental impacts were estimated through Life Cycle Assessment in terms of CO emissions and incorporated in the analysis. Considering a 5-year period, the SROI for a single exoskeleton was 3.75:1, and the SROI for the number of exoskeletons projected to be sold was 2.868:1, thus resulting largely in value for money. This study provides a model for combining economic, social and environmental outcomes that, besides contributing to theory, could be useful for decision-making.
中风是全球范围内导致死亡和残疾的第三大原因。上肢功能障碍是中风幸存者的常见后果，对他们的生活质量产生负面影响。机器人康复通过重复和监测的运动，可以改善他们的状况。由米兰理工大学的一组研究人员开发的 AGREE 是一种用于上肢康复的外骨骼，处于转化研究和临床验证之间的阶段门。由于该设备的成本特别高，本研究旨在提供一个评估其价值的框架。应用了社会投资回报率 (SROI) 方法，该方法能够捕捉活动的经济、社会和环境影响，利用来自意大利不同医院的一组临床工程师和医疗保健专业人员的专家意见来获取信息。通过生命周期评估估计环境影响，以 CO 排放量表示，并纳入分析。考虑到 5 年的时间，单个外骨骼的 SROI 为 3.75:1，预计销售的外骨骼数量的 SROI 为 2.868:1，因此在很大程度上物有所值。本研究提供了一种结合经济、社会和环境成果的模型，除了对理论有贡献外，还可能对决策有用。
