Feasibility, acceptance and satisfaction of a psychosomatic hybrid rehabilitation: a single-arm prospective exploratory intervention study with 6-month follow-up.

Authors

Jana Langbrandtner, Carina Kolb, Kristina Kulisch, Ruth Deck

Published in

European journal of physical and rehabilitation medicine. Jul 20, 2026. Epub Jul 20, 2026.

Abstract

The feasibility study "Psychosomatic Hybrid-Reha" was the first to examine the practicability of a program combining a 4-week inpatient phase with a subsequent 1-week digital "Bridge Week" in the home environment.
To investigate the feasibility, acceptance and satisfaction, and to explore preliminary health-related and work-related outcomes of a psychosomatic hybrid rehabilitation program.
Single-arm prospective, exploratory intervention study using a mixed-methods approach.
Psychosomatic hybrid rehabilitation in one German rehabilitation clinic.
Adults aged 18-60 years with mental health conditions undergoing psychosomatic rehabilitation.
Electronic questionnaires were processed at beginning of rehabilitation, before Bridge Week, at the end of rehabilitation, and six months after completing rehabilitation. Outcomes included social participation, mental and physical health, health-related quality of life, work ability, vocational expectations, and program-related evaluations.
Of 150 consenting patients (mean age 47.4±10.5; 78% female), 134 completed baseline measures, 92 completed the pre-Bridge Week assessment, and 75 completed the six-month follow-up. Non-responder analyses indicated higher age, poorer general health, higher psychological distress, lower work ability, and greater participation restrictions among dropouts. Feasibility and acceptance were high: >80% attended synchronous digital sessions, and 83% rated the Bridge Week as good or very good. Participation in asynchronous exercises was lower (50-65%). Exploratory complete-case analyses (N.=74) showed improvements from baseline to six months in social participation (IMET, P=0.002), depression, anxiety and stress (all P<0.001). Mental health-related quality of life increased (P<0.001), whereas physical health-related quality of life, resilience, self-efficacy and social support remained stable. Work ability improved (P<0.001), and negative vocational expectations declined (P=0.017).
The psychosomatic hybrid rehabilitation program demonstrated high feasibility and patient acceptance, with promising improvements in psychosocial and work-related indicators. However, due to the single-arm design and selective dropout, no conclusions about effectiveness can be drawn. Hybrid models appear to complement - rather than replace -traditional inpatient rehabilitation and may offer a flexible, patient-centered expansion of existing care structures.
The study indicates that psychosomatic hybrid rehabilitation with a structured digital Bridge Week is well accepted by patients. Future controlled studies are needed to determine their effectiveness.

PMID:
42473730
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 20 Jul 2026.

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