Mars Maurice
Department Of Telehealth, Nelson R. Mandela School Of Medicine, University Of Kwazulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa.
Int J Telerehabil. 2011 May 24;3(1):11-8. doi: 10.5195/ijt.2011.6069. eCollection 2011 Spring.
South Africa, like the rest of sub-Saharan Africa, has a disproportionate burden of disease and a shortage of health professionals. Telemedicine has been identified as a possible way of overcoming part of the problem but telemedicine has not been widely adopted. In the public sector hospitals in South Africa which serve 82% of the population there are 2.5 physiotherapists and 2 occupational therapists per 100,000 people served. The extent of telerehabilitation in South Africa is unknown. A literature review of telerehabilitation found no papers from South Africa. A survey of the heads of university departments of physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech and language pathology revealed limited knowledge of telerehabilitation. Telerehabilitation services are confined to follow-up of patients at some institutions by telephone, fax or email. There is need to raise awareness among therapists if telerehabilitation is to become a reality in South Africa. Future actions are outlined.
与撒哈拉以南非洲的其他地区一样，南非疾病负担过重，卫生专业人员短缺。远程医疗已被视为解决部分问题的一种可能方式，但尚未得到广泛应用。在为82%的人口提供服务的南非公立医院中，每10万服务人口仅有2.5名物理治疗师和2名职业治疗师。南非远程康复的程度尚不清楚。一项关于远程康复的文献综述未发现来自南非的论文。对物理治疗、职业治疗以及言语和语言病理学大学系主任的调查显示，他们对远程康复的了解有限。远程康复服务仅限于一些机构通过电话、传真或电子邮件对患者进行随访。如果远程康复要在南非成为现实，就需要提高治疗师的认识。本文概述了未来的行动。
