TV電話を用いた地域リハビリテーション支援システムの有効性と課題

The effectiveness and the problem of a community based rehabilitation support system using video conferencing telephones

要旨：広島県の県北ではリハビリテーションの専門スタッフが少ない．また，地域リハビリテーションのネットワークは未発達である．三次地区医療センターが，TV電話を用いたリハビリテーション支援システムを導入した．リハビリテーション専門職員は支援システムの画像伝送を活用し，患者の身体機能・ADL状況をより正確に報告・確認できた．また地域の関連職員は，退院した患者の治療経過・介護上の留意点などの情報を共有できた．リハビリテーション専門職間の連絡は密になった．しかしこの支援システムを今後発展させていくには，地域関係職種の積極的な参画が期待される．また，機器の利便性に欠ける面もみられる．これらは解決すべき問題である．

　There is an insufficient number of professional rehabilitation staff in northern Hiroshima prefecture. So, the community based rehabilitation network remains underdeveloped. The Miyoshi Medical Association Hospital introduced a rehabilitation support system, which incorporated the use of video conferencing telephones. Utilizing this system allowed the rehabilitation therapists to more accurately monitor the condition, progress, and ADL of each patient. The regional rehabilitation staff members were also able to more effectively consult each other regarding their patients on-going progress and follow-up treatment after discharge from the hospital. This system greatly improved communication between all the rehabilitation therapists and staff in the region. Since it is anticipated that this system will continue to develop, a continued improvement in the level of cooperation between participating rehabilitation staff in the region is expected. However, at present, inefficient equipment is compromising the overall effectiveness and convenience of this system. Therefore, this is a problem that should be resolved as soon as possible.