In recent years there has been a continuous reduction in the allocated length of hospitalization for rehabilitation. Some of the rehabilitation consumers are victims of traumatic and non-traumatic head injuries. In addition, increased life span and improvement and increased efficiency in medical treatment, have led to greater incidence and survival rates of cerebrovascular accident (CVA) patients annually, requiring rehabilitation, thereby increasing the burden on the health system. Many studies in the field have shown that rehabilitation is effective for a long time following injury if it is maintained consistently.

Attempts have been made in different parts of the world to develop methods that will enable the patient to independently pursue his rehabilitation, via his home computer, without having to leave his house or see a therapist, and reduce the burden on the family.

In the Tele-rehabilitation project, the patient receives a treatment program after being evaluated by the therapist, so that the exercises can be conducted at the patient's home. The results of this self-training will be evaluated in real-time by the computerized system, providing immediate feedback to the patients. The results are also kept on file and used to update the patient's self-rehabilitation training plan according to his/her progress. In addition, the system allows the patient to go through a clinician-based rehabilitation program over the internet, if necessary.

The current research will assess the efficiency of the Tele-rehabilitation method using appropriate tools. The outcome measures of the study will include the time-span from injury to resumption of activity in the community, as per the International Classification of Functioning Disability and Health (ICF) terminology.

For further details: info@GertnerTeleRehab.com 

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