Ageing societies, medical progress and rising prevalence of noncommunicable diseases, neurological diseases, multimorbidity and disability will lead to new challenges for rehabilitation on a global level. The number of severely affected patients from different medical disciplines with prolonged or permanent dependency on life supporting technologies like mechanical ventilation and tracheostomy will rise. Consequently ever more patients will need out-of-hospital ventilation and intensive care.

Patients with prolonged or permanent dependency on tracheostomy or mechanical ventilation have a need for tailored treatment to optimize functioning, reduce disability, foster participation and improve quality of life. Rehabilitation for these patients has to integrate intensive care, respiratory care and palliative care. Rehabilitative efforts should start on the acute intensive care unit, should be continued throughout the treatment in centers specialized in e.g. weaning from mechanical ventilation, early rehabilitation or spinal cord injury, and should further take place in an out-of-hospital intensive care nursing setting. We aim at focusing the importance of a continuum of rehabilitation and at distributing knowledge, that leads to a substantial improvement of the situation of patients and their families.

In this research topic we welcome original research, brief research reports, clinical trials, study protocols, case reports and case series, as well as review articles, systematic review articles and policy and practice review articles. We encourage submissions on the following aspects:
- weaning and decannulation in rehabilitative settings
- the implementation of palliative care in rehabilitative settings for patients with prolonged or permanent need for life supporting technologies
- the role of doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists, speech and language therapists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, (neuro-)psychologists and other professions as well as as family caregivers and trained lay people
- Psychological needs of patients and family members/dependents as well as challenges in diagnostics, therapy and guidance
- healthcare structures specialized in rehabilitation of mechanically ventilated or tracheostomized patients
- the patient journey and life-long care
- participation, quality of life and dignity of patients with prolonged or permanent need for life-supporting technologies
- medical ethics and health economics

Submissions on all other aspects of rehabilitation of tracheostomized or mechanically ventilated patients are also welcome for submission.

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Frontiers in Rehabilitation Sciences

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