Whelan Lynsay R, Wagner Nathan
Touch Bionics, Hilliard, OH.
Int J Telerehabil. 2011 Dec 20;3(2):19-22. doi: 10.5195/IJT.2011.6080. eCollection 2011 Fall.
While over 1.5 million individuals are living with limb loss in the United States (Ziegler-Graham et al., 2008), only 10% of these individuals have a loss that affects an upper limb. Coincident with the relatively low incidence of upper limb loss, is a shortage of the community-based prosthetic rehabilitation experts that can help prosthetic users to more fully integrate their devices into their daily routines. This article describes how expert prosthetists and occupational therapists at Touch Bionics, a manufacturer of advanced upper limb prosthetic devices, employ Voice over the Internet Protocol (VoIP) videoconferencing software telehealth technologies to engage in remote consultation with users of prosthetic devices and/or their local practitioners. The Touch Bionics staff provide follow-up expertise to local prosthetists, occupational therapists, and other health professionals. Contrasted with prior telephone-based consultations, the video-enabled approach provides enhanced capabilities to benefit persons with upper limb loss. Currently, the opportunities for Touch Bionics occupational therapists to fully engage in patient-based services delivered through telehealth technologies are significantly reduced by their need to obtain and maintain professional licenses in multiple states.
在美国，有超过150万人肢体残缺（齐格勒 - 格雷厄姆等人，2008年），但其中只有10%的人上肢残缺。与上肢残缺相对较低的发生率相伴的是，缺乏能帮助假肢使用者将假肢更充分融入日常生活的社区假肢康复专家。本文介绍了先进上肢假肢设备制造商Touch Bionics的专业假肢师和职业治疗师如何利用互联网协议语音（VoIP）视频会议软件远程医疗技术，与假肢使用者及其当地从业者进行远程会诊。Touch Bionics的工作人员为当地假肢师、职业治疗师和其他健康专业人员提供后续专业知识。与以前基于电话的会诊相比，这种视频方式为上肢残缺者带来了更多益处。目前，Touch Bionics的职业治疗师通过远程医疗技术充分参与基于患者服务的机会，因他们需要在多个州获得并维持专业执照而大幅减少。
