Article

Telemedicine offers an innovative approach to increase access to rehabilitation
medicine services for patients who live in areas where physiatrists are scarce or
absent. This article reviews the current status of telerehabilitation services
delivered through real-time videoconferencing to provide support, assessment, and
interventions to individuals with impairments or disabilities. A literature
review demonstrates various uses of telerehabilitation by physical therapists,
occupational therapists, speech and language pathologists, audiologists,
recreational therapists, neuropsychologists, nurses, other physician specialists,
and physiatrists. We also provide more in-depth examples of 2 current programs
that involve physiatrists: One furnishes telerehabilitation services to adult
stroke survivors, and the other addresses the special health care needs of
children with developmental disabilities. We discuss the benefits of using
telemedicine via real-time videoconferencing to care for individuals with
disabilities, outline the challenges of successfully implementing a physiatric
telerehabilitation program, and finish with a list of potential applications for
physiatrists interested in incorporating telemedicine into their practice.
Further investigation of the use of telehealth technologies to deliver physiatric
services, care coordination, and education is needed. We recommend that our
professional societies develop and publish guidelines to facilitate development
and use of telerehabilitation technologies to increase access to physiatric
services.
CI - Copyright (c) 2011 American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.
Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Langue : ANGLAIS