Possibilities of providing rehabilitation services through telemedicine for children with cerebral paralysis

Abstract

Introduction. Telemedicine is widely used for children with cerebral paralysis (CP). Pandemic restrictions made telemedicine as a good option for continuous patient treatment (1). Wide possibilities of telemedicine are growing fast bringing all benefits for patients who need non-interrupting care. Telemedicine can reduce this risk of the development of age-related diseases by providing continuous treatment when live contacts are restricted. Enhanced monitoring is crucial for younger children as devastating complications, such as hip dysplasia, could be minimized (2). The aim of our study was to evaluate possibilities, advantages and disadvantages of telemedicine for providing rehabilitation services for CP children. Research methods and organization. The study was conducted by collecting data and information from medical staff and from parents of CP children. Separate validated questionnaires containing 11 different questions each were used for medical specialists and for parents. All participants of this study (medical professionals and parents) were using telemedicine methods for rehabilitation of CP children for at least 1.5 year. Medical professional participants of the study were further divided into 2 groups: physical therapy specialists and occupational therapy specialists. The bioethical permission was obtained prior the study (No.: BEC-SR(M)-216). All respondents of the study were informed about the aim and tasks of this study and how collected information would be used for evaluation and further development of telemedicine for improved treatment of CP children. Confidentiality and anonymity was assured by encoding all collected data before analysis. Different questionnaires with different questions and different semi structured interview plans were prepared for medical staff and parents of CP children. Data was collected from the participants as written answers to questionnaires, recorded interviews and direct additional questions and answers. All collected data was grouped into different groups and analyzed by various aspects evaluating and comparing positive and negative results: a) within each group separately; b) among all groups for the same question types. A total number of participants in the study was 14. Results. All participants of the study confirmed that telemedicine is a very important alternative way of complimentary treatment for CP children. Due to pandemic restrictions of live meetings, alternative continuous treatment with the help of Telemedicine was the only possible way for some patients to stay in contact with specialists. When live meetings of doctors with patients were not interrupted, more intensive and continuous care using telemedicine could be provided in between. Regular usage of telemedicine in CP treatment had a number of advantages: 1) CP children could get the treatment at home, without going to the hospital; 2) parents could easily organize and choose the best possible time and duration for their children; 3) Physical and occupational therapy specialists had more flexibility for planning tele meetings with their patients; 4) Bi-directional communication of doctors and patients could be organized both: live online or at any convenient time for both sides by sending questions, videos or getting advices and suggestions from specialists relatively soon. […].