The ISPRM 2020 in Orlando took place from March 5th to 10th, hence right at the beginning of the Corona outbreak in the USA. The conference was, unlike others, still conducted, but it was heavily impacted by the situation, starting with the fact that people were asked to “elbow-bump” instead of shaking hands, to the number of attendees able to travel, sessions conducted and speakers present.

Dr. Clemens Müller, Global Head of Clinical and Scientific Affairs, was invited to give a lecture during the “Robotics in rehabilitation” session of the conference. His contribution and insights were very well received by his co-speakers and all the attendees.

Together with the other IISART companies, a breakfast session was organized and attracted over 70 attendees to the venue at 7 am. Speakers Alberto Esquenazi, Debora Backus, Candy Tefertiller and Gloria Miller provided valuable insights into how the daily life of clinicians has changed and will further change with the advent of rehabilitation technology and how the educational programs adapt to these changes.

In the following discussion, the clinicians, administrators and educators on the panel agreed to stay connected and collaborate, also with the help of IISART, to continue to best prepare future clinicians for the rehabilitation care of tomorrow.

A reoccurring topic in this conference was “personalized medicine” and its importance in person-centered care. Technologies such as Hoconet by Hocoma are ahead of the curve in this regard, supporting clinicians to individualize training for their patients in a systematic way.

In summary, ISPRM 2020 will be a memorable conference for all of us – and likely to be the last conference many will attend in some time – but well worth it to continue the dialogue of how technology is changing how we in the world of rehabilitation can best serve patient needs in new and innovative ways.