Creating value for the patient

TELEMEDICINE AS A TOOL FOR A MORE EQUAL DISTRIBUTION OF HEALTH CARE IN THE WORLD

by: Dr. Jayanth G. Paraki
Source: TeleHealth (www.telehealth.net)
Date: 15 June 2001

Introduction

The occurrence of natural disasters like the recent earthquake disaster at Bhuj, Gujarat, India offers an opportunity to provide health, education and rehabilitation services of a high quality to the affected victims and families. An attempt is being made to integrate holistic health services and Telemedicine to provide low cost effective services to the affected victims and their families. The project has challenges, difficulties and many unexpected problems. However networking, team effort and a co-operative spirit combined with professional expertise and management will make this project successful.

What is Telemedicine?

Telemedicine requires a multidisciplinary approach involving varied sectors like telecommunications, IT, medical experts, general practitioners, hospitals, equipment suppliers, logistics companies, government agencies, social workers and universities. It also brings to the table a wide range of technologies like radio, analog landlines, e-mail, Internet, ISDN, satellites, and tele-sensors.

The challenge in telemedicine systems is to harness new technologies and operating models while also improving equity in access to high-quality health care. The national infrastructure for health care around the world should be based on new forms of communications and information technology like the Internet. The medical applications of Telemedicine are many and a specific, clear model will serve as a paradigm for global use.

A Telemedicine link between two nodal centres, one in Bangalore and another in Gujarat is to be established to provide holistic health care and rehabilitation services. The project envisages using Internet and satellite communication to enable the health care task force in Bangalore to interact with the team at Gujarat.

The Problem

Physical Health:

1. Trauma: fractures and fracture-dislocations, soft tissue injuries, surgical infections, post amputation rehabilitation.
2. Chronic malnutrition and susceptibility to other bacterial and viral infections, water and food borne diseases.

Mental Health:

1. Post traumatic stress syndrome
2. Chronic anxiety and depression
3. Environmental shock and precipitation of psychosis and schizophrenia
4. Deprivation of continuing education and lack of security
5. Dislocation of family living and social isolation

The Solution

Holistic team effort comprising general physicians, specialist in Holistic Medicine, pediatricians, psychologists and counselors and homeopaths is essential to successful short term and long term rehabilitation.

The Clinic for Holistic Healing will bring professional expertise to the endeavor and adopt a Total Quality Management approach to the project

The teams stationed at the project site will deliver the health care and support services as per the project directives. It will monitor tasks, gather relevant information and communicate with the center at Bangalore. The Clinic for Holistic Healing will build and train more teams and dispatch them to the site as and when necessary.

Expected Outcome

A clear demonstration of the economic, clinical and technological benefits of the holistic approach is expected. The use of low cost effective homeopathic medicines is likely to be demonstrated, as the number of patients to be treated is considerable.

Future Directions

Global replication of holistic health and education paradigm is practical, feasible and cost-effective. Further efforts are needed to define clear application models for specific individual countries based on their immediate and future needs. Concerning the community, the focus will be on telemedicine as a tool to support a more equal distribution of health care all over the world. Thus, the program will illustrate the possibilities to distribute medicine and health care globally with the help of telemedicine. Emphasis can then be given to projects that allow for practical, cost-effective telemedical solutions that are integrated into daily clinical routine and can be copied in large scales all over the world. Networking over Internet has the auspices of being a tool for supporting work against global problems such as AIDS, tuberculosis and other global health threats.

REFERENCES

1. Information for Health specifies that telemedicine and telecare options must be considered routinely in the development of Health Improvement Programmes and associated service strategies. National database for telemedicine - UK http://www.dis.port.ac.uk/ndtm
2. All telemedicine projects involve an element of tele-education as knowledge, skills and expertise are communicated across the link. Telemedicine Information Service - UK http://www.tis.bl.uk/index.htm

Address for communication:
Dr. Jayanth G. Paraki / Director
Clinic for Holistic Healing
No 45, Kalro chambers, 15th cross, 8th main, Malleshwaram
Bangalore- 560055   INDIA

Tel No: (91) (080) -3348866; (91) (080) -3461790
Email: paraki@vsnl.com / dparaki@yahoo.co.in
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