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Is
Telehealth a fast growing area of medicine?
Telehealth is growing at an incredibly fast rate. From radiographic imaging to remote robot-controlled surgeries, to psychotherapy, hypnotherapy and biofeedback, the limits of the technology are yet to be reached. Telehealth incorporates high end, high-bandwidth technologies as well as low-bandwidth mediums such as H.324 videoconferencing, remote control software, web sites, e-mail, pagers, cell phones, telephone and, yes, even the postal service! Do you think this technology is applicable to non-military markets? Absolutely. What we are doing with biofeedback, for example, can be utilized today in the civilian sector. All of the equipment is commercially available, off-the-shelf technology. If we can see a 1pm patient in Guam, a 2PM patient in Korea and a 3PM patient in Japan, any clinician can take the same equipment and establish biofeedback systems at several satellite locations. The only other technical requirement at the remote site is the minimal |
training
of a technician, sufficient for them to competently attach the sensors
to the patient, turn the equipment on and answer the phone. Of course,
the provider should have clinical backup in place at the remote site.
For example, if a patient comes in and reports imminent suicidal tendencies,
someone at the remote site should be available to intervene.
Do you have to be a computer wizard to set a Telehealth system up? Good question, and the answer is no. One can talk on the phone to someone at the remote site and explain how to set up the videophone. Once the videophone is hooked up, it can be used to explain how to set up the biofeedback system. It's all pretty straightforward. We've done it easily with some rather "technology-compromised" folks. What
is the future of the research at Tripler?
Tripler is an incredibly active research site, on the cutting-edge of a number of emerging technologies and treatment methodologies. In the telehealth arena, for
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example, Congress has funded a Pacific e-health Innovation Center that is based at Tripler. Our success with the biofeedback project has generated a number of other projects that utilize low-bandwidth technology as well. We are also investigating internet based communication methods such as Netmeeting®. Will we see the project being more widely spread throughout the US army? Yes. Our particular interest is in low-bandwidth telehealth (LBT), where the technology requirements are no more than a POTS line. Just about every presentation we have given on the subject generates a great deal of enthusiasm. We've had participants come up to us and say, "Not only do I want to set up the biofeedback system, I would like to use LBT in another clinical application as well." So yes, the interest is quite strong and one of our goals for the next year is to 'export' what we have learned throughout the armed forces as well as in the civilian sector.
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