Remote rehabilitation is an important sub-branch of telemedicine. Although, compared to other telemedicine topics, its history is relatively "short", remote rehabilitation has quickly become a practical issue, as information and communication technology can have a major impact on people's health.
A comparison of remote rehabilitation with conventional rehabilitation services shows that in the remote rehabilitation method, costs may be reduced and the impact of work may be greater. Remote rehabilitation is equivalent to the English-Latin word tele-rehabilitation , which is also abbreviated to telerehab . The word tele-rehabilitation consists of two parts: tele , meaning remote, and rehabilitation , meaning rehabilitation or rehabilitation .
The concept of remote rehabilitation was first developed by the National Organization for Research on Disability and Rehabilitation in the United States (NIDRR) in 1997 .
Remote rehabilitation is the provision of telecommunication rehabilitation services via the Internet and communication networks, including telecommunications.
In fact, telemedicine rehabilitation is a part of telemedicine (telemedicine) that provides rehabilitation services without the need for the patient's physical presence.
Define remote rehabilitation
Use of information and communication technology to provide rehabilitation services from a distance by the therapist's relationship with the therapist or therapist to the therapist for evaluation, intervention, treatment and counseling
Most of these rehabilitation services are divided into two parts: clinical evaluation (the patient's functional abilities in the environment) and clinical treatment.
Some of the diagnostic or therapeutic rehabilitation services that have been provided so far as remote rehabilitation services include: visiting and examining the patient's condition by a physician specializing in physical and rehabilitation medicine, visiting the patient by a neurologist, orthopedist or rheumatologist, performing Exercise or therapy training sessions by physiotherapists and occupational therapists, speech therapy sessions, psychological counseling for patients, and nutrition and diet therapy sessions for patients with weight or nutrition problems (as part of a rehabilitation team).
Remote rehabilitation services can be provided in a variety of ways. The simplest way to communicate remotely is by phone. Newer methods include textual questions and answers (chat) between the patient and the doctor or the patient and the therapist, or in the next step, audio-video communication (video conferencing) between the two. Through video communication, the patient can be evaluated simultaneously by several specialists (online medical counseling). Over time, more advanced software has been designed and marketed to make this connection easier or more efficient. Such as software that measures the patient's condition, direction and speed of movement through the mobile phone camera and provides it to the doctor / therapist.
The importance of remote rehabilitation
For the following reasons, remote rehabilitation is important:
1- Increasing the prevalence of chronic diseases and thus increasing the need for rehabilitation services
2- Increasing life expectancy and increasing the elderly population
Remote rehabilitation goals
The overall goal of Remote Rehabilitation is to make access to rehabilitation care services accessible to more people, reduce rehabilitation costs (financial and time costs) for patients and their companions, and limit the lack of access to space. Eliminate many rehabilitation services. Some specific goals for remote rehabilitation include the following:
- Increasing the impact of rehabilitation services performed in person
- Replacing diagnostic or face-to-face therapy sessions when it is not possible
- Prevent reversal of the patient's condition after completing the course of face-to-face treatment
- Monitoring the patient's condition and changes in his performance over time
- Examining the patient's living conditions
- Training the patient's companions and family to reduce the ability
Every day we see an increase in the elderly population as well as an increase in chronic diseases of old age, and these elderly people need rehabilitation and rehabilitation specialists. On the other hand, the age of onset of some very important debilitating diseases, such as stroke, is declining, and more and more people are becoming more active every day. Some other important illnesses also affect people at a younger age (such as spinal cord injuries, brain injuries, and multiple sclerosis).
Unfortunately, even in the most advanced societies and in developed countries, most of these people do not receive full rehabilitation services. The reasons for this are summarized as follows:
- The number of rehabilitation specialists or specialized rehabilitation clinics is low and their spatial distance with the patient is often high.
- It is sometimes very difficult to move a patient with mobility problems and transfer them to rehabilitation centers. However, these patients must visit medical centers regularly (sometimes for several months) to receive these services.
- Many patients live in villages or small towns where access to specialists or specialized rehabilitation centers is not possible at all.
- The cost of transportation and face-to-face visits to rehabilitation medical centers in the long run is high (especially due to the lack of coverage or very incomplete coverage of insurance for rehabilitation services).
- Frequent travel of patients to receive rehabilitation services, in addition to the patient himself, family members and his companions are also involved, and it takes a lot of time and money from them.
- Treatment and Rehabilitation usually requires a multi-faceted relationship with a range of health service providers such as medical professionals (in different specialties) and of physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, psychology and nutrition. There are very few centers that have all the above specialties and provide the possibility of consulting and exchanging information between them to provide optimal services to the patient.
Remote rehabilitation largely eliminates the above problems by eliminating physical barriers, allowing patients to access rehabilitation facilities in major cities, even from the most deprived and remote areas, without the need to do so. Make any move and leave your home.