A major step for Czech spa medicine: after more than 30 years, the first clinical study to objectify comprehensive spa care is launching!

More than three decades after the closure of the Research Institute of Balneology (Výzkumný ústav balneologický) in Mariánské Lázně in 1993, a major milestone for Czech spa medicine has been reached. The Institute of Spa and Balneology in Karlovy Vary is launching the first clinical study in history focused on objectifying the effects of comprehensive spa therapeutic and rehabilitation care, to be carried out in cooperation with the company Léčebné lázně Mariánské Lázně.

The study focuses on nephrological and urological diseases, and its aim is to obtain hard, scientifically grounded data that will objectively assess the benefits of comprehensive spa therapeutic and rehabilitation care
on patients' health status and quality of life. The research study and the start of data collection are planned for the first quarter of this year. The research will involve more than one hundred patients indicated for urinary tract diseases. Baseline and follow-up indicators of health status and quality of life will be compared before and after completion of comprehensive spa therapeutic and rehabilitation care.

"This is the first study of its kind ever conducted in the field of Czech spa medicine, with the potential to significantly contribute to professional debate, strengthen the trust of both experts and the general public, and support the long-term sustainability of balneotherapy as an inseparable part of therapeutic and preventive care," says prim. MUDr. Ladislav Špišák, CSc., Chairman of the Council of the Institute of Spa and Balneology and expert guarantor of clinical research.

The significance of the study extends beyond the research itself. It responds to a long-standing spa practice lacking sufficient data support, while also aiming to strengthen the professional standing of Mariánské Lázně as a center where traditional spa medicine is linked with modern research and evidence-based medicine.

"We are proud that here in Mariánské Lázně we can once again uphold the tradition of systematic spa research, once represented by the Research Institute of Balneology. This clinical study is not an isolated project for us, but a natural continuation of our long-term cooperation with the Institute of Spa and Balneology, including studies already carried out focusing on the treatment of post-COVID patients and the ONKOFIT-SPA project. We view research as an integral part of modern spa care, supported by the work of a multidisciplinary team of medical and non-medical experts, and also as part of the long-term strategy of the Ensana brand, which systematically promotes evidence-based medicine, innovation and new trends in spa medicine," says Karel Kalivoda, CEO of Léčebné lázně Mariánské Lázně.

The research study is being carried out as part of the Spa Research Centre project, supported by funds from the Just Transition Operational Programme.